The name of the site, variously rendered al-Kunaysah /li-Knaysi/ is of Arabicorigin and means "the little church". The name probably refers to the remains of an ancient building on the upper part of the mound.[5]
By the beginning of the 20th century, residents from Tirat Ramallah settled the site, establishing it as a dependency – or satellite village – of their home village.[9]
In the 1945 statistics Al-Kunayyisa had a population of 40 Muslims,[2] with 3,872 dunams of land.[3] Of this, a 64 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 2,432 were used for cereals,[11] while 20 dunams were classified as built-up areas.[12]
A khirba to the east contains rugged stone walls and building remains.[13]
1948, aftermath
Al-Kunayyisa became depopulated after a military assault on July 10, 1948.[4]
On 20 August 1948, Al-Kunayyisa was one of 32 Palestinian villagers whose land was given to the JNF for establishing Jewish settlements. Al-Kunayyisas land was given to Mishmar Ayalon.[14] However, according to Walid Khalidi, Mishmar Ayalon is on the land of Al-Qubab.[13]
In 1992 the village site was described: "From a distance, the site looks like a big stone pile overgrown with a thicket of thorns. More than thirty partially destroyed buildings, including houses, still stand. The remains of arched doors and windows are visible. Fig, almond, olive, and pomegranate trees and cactuses grow among the buildings. The lands in the vicinity are cultivated by the nearby kibbutz; some are planted with cotton."[15]
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