al-birwa was mentioned in 1047 ce, during fatimid rule, when it was visited by the persian geographer, nasir khusraw. he describes it as lying "between acre and damun", and reports having visited what he described as the tombs of simeon and esau there. the crusaders wrested control of palestine from the fatimids in 1099. they referred to al-birwa as "broet". in 1253, john aleman, the crusader lord of caesarea, sold al-birwa, along with several other villages, to the knights hospitaller. al-birwa was mentioned as part of the acre-based crusaders' domain in the 1283 "hudna" (truce agreement) with the mamluks under sultan al-mansur qalawun. in the late 13th century, the mamluks defeated and conquered the last crusader outposts along palestine's northern coastline.