Ottoman era

Zawiya appeared in the 1596 Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Jabal Qubal, part of the Sanjak of Nablus. It had a population of 4 households, all Muslim. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 800 akçe,^[7]

In the 18th and 19th centuries, al-Zawiya formed part of the highland region known as Jūrat ‘Amra or Bilād Jammā‘īn. Situated between Dayr Ghassāna in the south and the present Route 5 in the north, and between Majdal Yābā in the west and Jammā‘īn, Mardā and Kifl Ḥāris in the east, this area served, according to historian Roy Marom, "as a buffer zone between the political-economic-social units of the Jerusalem and the Nablus regions. On the political level, it suffered from instability due to the migration of the Bedouin tribes and the constant competition among local clans for the right to collect taxes on behalf of the Ottoman authorities.”^[8]

In 1838, Edward Robinson noted it as a village, es-Zawieh, in the Jurat Merda district, south of Nablus.^[9]

Victor Guérin visited the village in 1870, and described it as having about 200 inhabitants and a small mosque.^[10]

In 1870/1871 (1288 AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in the nahiya (sub-district) of Jamma'in al-Thani, subordinate to Nablus.^[11]

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the village as being of moderate size, "probably an ancient place, having rock-cut tombs to the south."^[12]

British Mandate era

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Zawiya (called: Zawiyeh) had a population of 398, 396 Muslims and 2 Christians,^[13] both Orthodox,^[14] while in the 1931 census it had 122 occupied houses and a population of 513, all Muslim.^[15]

In the 1945 statistics the population was 720, all Muslims,^[16] while the total land area was 11,516 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.^[17] Of this, 964 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 2,055 for cereals,^[18] while 41 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) areas.^[19]

• Az-Zawiya 1941 1:20,000
• Az-Zawiya 1945 1:250,000

Jordanian era

In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Az-Zawiya came under Jordanian rule.

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,170 inhabitants.^[20]

Post-1967

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Az-Zawiya has been under Israeli occupation.

After the 1995 accords, 9.5% of village land was classified as Area B, the remaining 90.5% as Area C.^[21]

Israel confiscated 662 dunams of Zawiya land in order to establish an Israeli quarry to the west of the town.^[22] The quarry, (also called the Nahal Raba quarry, and Mazor Atiqa), is now isolated from az-Zawiya and Rafat behind the West Bank barrier in the Seam Zone.^[22] A local subsidiary of HeidelbergCement now operates the quarry.^[23][24]

In 2004, one Israeli, one Palestinian were arrested and 40 were wounded in anti-wall protest at Az-Zawiya.^[25]

The Israeli outpost Magen Dan was established after settlers forcefully seized 76 dunums of village land from Zawiya.^[26]

Agriculture is the town's main economic sector with olives, figs, almonds, lentils and wheat being the primary crops. There are over 2,700 dunams of land making up az-Zawiya's jurisdiction, of which 900 is built-up area.^[4] Sheep is the main livestock grazed in az-Zawiya. There are also small industries such as sewing, carpentry and metal-working. There are over 120 shops in the town. The Second Intifada has drastically decreased revenue from agricultural exports to Israel and Jordan, slashing prices in half.^[27]

Az-Zawiya is governed by a municipal council whose members are elected every four years. The town has been a municipality since 1996. Mayor Taleb Raddad (Abu al-Adeeb) has been elected mayor in each local election, serving for three terms. Az-Zawiya has two medical clinics, two boys' schools and two girls' schools.^[27] The town will be enclosed on four sides with the completion of the separation barrier forming the az-Zawiya enclave.^[28]

In 2001 Israeli settlers raided the area destroying 25 dunams of olive groves contiguous to Highway 5.^[29]