Salbit

Salbit stood on a hill of soft limestone on the western edge of the Jerusalem-Hebron Mountains. Three km northwest of the village there was a secondary road which linked Salbit to the Ramla-Jerusalem highway. Dirt roads also connected it to adjacent villages. Its houses, made of mud and stone, were grouped around the village center, where the mosque, marketplace, and elementary school were located. The school, built in 1947, had an enrollment of forty-five students. All of the residents of Salbit were Muslims. The quality of the grass in the region enabled them to raise livestock; they also worked in agriculture, growing mainly rainfed grains. In 1944/45 a total of 4,066 dunums was allocated to cereals; 16 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. The village obtained its drinking water from a well.