Yabrud is located 8.7 km northeast of Ramallah. It is bordered by Silwad to the east and north, 'Ein Siniya village to the west, and Silwad and 'Ein Yabrud territories to the south.[3]
Yaqut (1179–1229) noted about Ein Yabrud and Yabrud: "A village lying north of Jerusalem, on the road from the Holy City to Nabulus, between which and Yabrud is Kafar Natha. It possesses orchards and vineyards, and olives and Sumach trees."[7]
Yabrud was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the nahiya of Al-Quds in the liwa of Al-Quds. It had a population of 28 household; who were all Muslims. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, olive trees, vineyards/fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 3,500 akçe.[8] Potsherds from the Ottoman era have also been found here.[4]
In 1838, Yebrud was noted as Muslim village in the Beni Murrah district, north of Jerusalem.[9][10]
In 1870, Victor Guérin described Yabroud as being located on a hill, with five hundred inhabitants, and whose plantations, vineyards and figs were very well maintained.[11] An Ottoman village list from about the same year, 1870, found that Jabrud had a population of 127, in 36 houses, though the population count included men, only.[12][13]
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Yebrud as: "a village of small size a hill, with a well and extensive fig gardens or terraces to the east, and olives to the west. The roads are here walled in."[14]
In 1896 the population of Jabrud was estimated to be about 276 persons.[15]
In the 1945 statistics Yabrud had a population of 300 Muslims,[18] while the total land area was 2,431 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[19] Of this, 1,290 were used for plantations and irrigable land, 350 for cereals,[20] while 26 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) areas.[21]