According to one Druze tradition, Nebi (prophet) Yaf’ouri, was a mystic whose high moral standards are passed down in oral tradition through the generations.
The gleaming white dome crowing his tomb stands out among apple orchards, verdant and heavy with fruit in summer and beautifully blossoming in spring, in a high valley with a magnificent view of Mount Hermon.
Like most Druze holy places, the room containing the scarf-covered tomb is just a small part a larger complex. The original building, dating from around 1840, has several modern additions, including a large parking lot, which doubles as a playground for younger visitors and is studded with shady ash and mulberry trees. Another building contains a kitchen and long, family-style tables for shared meals. Busloads of Druze faithful come year-round to the tomb, but August 25 is the annual ziyara, or special pilgrimage day.
Nebi Yaf’ouri’s tomb is located some 600 yards past Birket Ram on the way to the Druze town of Majdal Shams.