in 1596, al-bassa was part of the ottoman empire, a village in the "nahiya" (subdistrict) of tibnin under the safad sanjak, with a population of 76 muslim families and 28 muslim bachelors. it paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat olives, barley, cotton and fruits, as well as on goats, beehives and pasture land; a total of 7,000 akçe.