Ancient period Taybeh is identified with ancient
Ophrah. The town is mentioned in
Josephus'
The Jewish War during the time of the
First Jewish–Roman War under the Greek appellation Ephraim (), or
Apharaema (). According to
Conder and
Kitchener, Taybeh was an important place during both Jewish and Crusader times. They noted a
rock-cut tomb in the village with multiple
kokhim, which they thought was originally Jewish but was later reused by Christians as evidenced by the double
Latin cross relief cut above the entrance.
Byzantine period In the 5th century, a
church, known today as St George's Church, was built in the east of the town. In the 12th century, another church was built by the
Crusaders attached to the first one. In 1185, the king
Baldwin V of Jerusalem granted the castle to his grandfather
William V, Marquess of Montferrat. However, in 1187 Taybeh fell to
Saladin in the wake of the
Battle of Hattin.
Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani (1125–1201) described it as a Crusader fortress taken by Saladin, while
Yaqut al-Hamawi (1179–1229) described it, under the name of '
Afra, as "a fortress in the Filastin Province, near Jerusalem."
Ottoman period In 1596, the village was named
Tayyibat al-Isem as it appeared in the Ottoman
tax registers, located in the
Nahiya of Quds of the
Liwa of
Quds. It had a population of 63
Muslim households and 23 Christian families. The village paid taxes on wheat, barley, vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives; a total of 22,100
akçe. All of the revenue went to a
Waqf. Around 1810–1820, a large battle was fought in the village between rival factions of the
Kais and the Yamani. Eventually the Yamani faction, led by the
sheikh of
Abu Ghosh, managed to regain Taybeh from the Kais faction. When
Edward Robinson visited in 1838, he found it to contain 75 taxable inhabitants, indicating a population of about 300–400 people. It was noted as a
Greek Christian village in the District of
Beni Salim, east of Jerusalem. French explorer
Victor Guérin visited the village in 1863, and described Thayebeh as having an estimated 800 villagers, 60 Catholics, and the rest Greek Orthodox. He further noted the remains a large building on the top of a hill. In 1882, the
Palestine Exploration Fund's
Survey of Western Palestine described Taiyibeh as a "large Christian village in a conspicuous position, with well-built stone houses. A central tower stands on the top of the hill; on either side are olive and fig gardens in the low ground. The view is extensive on either side. A ruined church of St George exists near, and there are remains of a ruined castle in the village. The inhabitants are Greek Christians."
Charles de Foucauld (1853–1916), an explorer and French hermit, passed through Taybeh in January 1889 and returned in 1898. Inspired by his visit, he wrote "Eight Days in Aphram, retreat of 1898, from Monday after IV Lent Sunday, (March 14) through Monday, after IV Lent Sunday (21 March)."
British Mandate In the
1922 census of Palestine conducted by the
British Mandate authorities, Al Taibeh had a population of 961: 954
Christians and 7
Muslims, where 663 were
Orthodox, 249
Roman Catholic, 60 Greek Catholic (
Melkite Catholic) and 2 were
Anglican. In 1927 a Greek Orthodox church was built on a Byzantine church, carefully incorporating architectural elements, like columns, lintels, capitals, two fonts, and a fragmentary mosaic pavement with a Greek inscription. At the time of the
1931 census, Taybeh had a population of 1,125; 1,038 Christians and 87 Muslims living in 262 houses. The population had increased in
1945 to 1,330; 1,180 Christians and 150 Muslims, while the total land area was 20,231
dunams, according to an official land and population survey. Of this 5,287 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 5,748 for cereals, while 80 dunams were classified as built-up areas.
Jordanian period In the wake of the
1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the
1949 Armistice Agreements, Taybeh came under
Jordanian rule. The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,677 inhabitants in Taybeh, of whom 1,176 were Christian.
1967 and aftermath Since the
Six-Day War in 1967, Taybeh has been under
Israeli occupation. In 1986, the
Charles de Foucauld Pilgrim Center funded by the French Lieutenancy of the
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre opened in the village. After the
1995 accords, 35% of village land was classified as
Area B, the remaining 65% as
Area C. According to
ARIJ, Israel has confiscated 393
dunam of land from Taybeh for the construction of the
Israeli settlements of
Rimmonim, and 22 dunams for
Ofra.
Settler attacks on the civilian population In September 2005, hundreds of Muslim men from
Deir Jarir torched homes in Taybeh in response to an affair between a 30-year-old Muslim woman from Deir Jarir said to have been romantically involved with a Christian man from Taybeh. Taybeh residents called the authorities to intervene, the Israelis arrived first but they watched and did not intervene. Palestinian policemen arriving from
Ramallah were held at an Israeli checkpoint for three hours, and were only allowed to pass after constant calls from the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem.
The Washington Post confirmed that on 25 June 2025, Taybeh and nearby village
Kafr Malik were attacked by dozens of armed Israeli settlers, who set fire to homes and vehicles. Three Palestinians were shot dead, although it remains unclear if they were killed by the settlers or the
Israeli Defense Force.
The Washington Post said it was the latest in a series of "violent raids against Palestinian villages in the West Bank, often with impunity in the presence of Israeli soldiers or directly with their help." Attacks by settlers continued throughout the summer of 2025, with the local Catholic parish priest, Fr Bashar Fawadleh, complaining of inaction by Israeli authorities. The situation merited a visit by heads of Christian churches in the Holy Land, to show support for the local population and appeal to the Israeli government to intervene. On the 8th of July the
Vatican News reported, that a group of Jewish settlers set fires in the vicinity of the Byzantine-era Christian cemetery and the Church of al-Khader (St. George), a site dating to the 5th century and regarded as one of the oldest and most venerated Christian places of worship in Palestine. The incidents are part of a series of attacks targeting Christian residents of the town, which have reportedly intensified in recent weeks. Settlers have also been accused of damaging local
olive groves—Taibeh’s main source of livelihood—and obstructing farmers’ access to their agricultural land. Furthermore, the Vatican News also reported that in recent weeks, incidents of settler violence have been reported not only in Taibeh but also in several other Palestinian villages situated near Israeli settlements, including
Ein Samia and
Kufr Malik, where homes, vehicles, and agricultural fields have been set on fire. At the end of June, four young Palestinians attempting to confront the violence were reportedly killed. In Ein Samia, located in the Jordan Valley, settlers were also reported to have damaged and destroyed the local aqueduct—a spring connected to a Roman-era canal system that continues to supply water to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, including residents of
Ramallah. ==Economy==