The area has significant Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Samaritan, Jewish and Roman archeological remains.[7][8][9][10] It was on the main road from 'Afula and Tiberias which was one of the ancient routes between Damascus and Egypt. During the British mandate a number of Jewish villages were established in the valley. By the end of the Second World War, Jews owned a third of the lands in the Beisan valley.[11] The Beisan lands were awarded to the Jews under the 1947 UN Partition plan.[11]