Archeological excavations have revealed remains from the Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods.[4]
The German-American archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher surveyed the village in the 1880s and described it as: "El-Khushniyeh —A large winter village on the Roman street west of er-Rafid, with scattered building stones. Most of the huts have fallen to pieces."[5]
The old part of town was built with basalt stones.[4] The residents worked with livestock and agriculture and Khushniyah was known for its vineyards and figs.[4] Eucalyptus trees was planted in the town to fight of malaria.[4] There was also several schools, a police station and a mosque built in 1956.[4]
After Israel occupied the area in the Six-Day War, they began destroying Syrian villages in the Golan Heights.[6][7] Khushniyeh was destroyed in 1967.[1] The population before the war was 1029.[1]
Sulimani, Gideon; Kletter, Raz (2022). "Settler-Colonialism and the Diary of an Israeli Settler in the Golan Heights: The Notebooks of Izhaki Gal". Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies. 21 (1). Edinburgh University Press: 48–71. doi:10.3366/hlps.2022.0283. ISSN2054-1988.