In 1948, some of the Arab inhabitants of Wadi El Hamam fled to Lebanon.[2] It contains one fairly modern mosque and the trail head for the steep ascent of Mount Arbel.
Archaeology
Khirbet Wadi Hamam is an archaeological site on the outskirts of Hamaam.[3] It was registered as Khirbet el-Wereidat in the PEF's 1870 Survey of Western Palestine,[4] from which the modern Hebrew name-Hurbat Vradim, also spelled Hurvat/Horvat Veradim-was derived.[citation needed] The site was excavated between 2007 and 2012 by a team under dig director Uzi Leibner of Hebrew University and yielded the remains of a large Roman-period Jewish village that was abandoned after a decades-long process of decline around the year 400, at the beginning of the Byzantine period.[3][5] The village was situated at the foot of Mount Nitai and thus on the ancient road connecting the central Galilee, through Wadi Hamam, with the Sea of Galilee.[3]
An ancient synagogue exists on the site with a partially preserved mosaic floor.[3]
Nature reserve
The fortifications atop Mount Nitai, which is a nature reserve and off limits for visitors, have also been surveyed and partially excavated with the purpose of dating them and placing them in a historical context.[3]
