 In 1596, "Beit Sawir" appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the "Nahiya" of Quds of the "Liwa" of Quds.It had a population of 8 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives or vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives.The much larger Arab village of "Fagur" was nearby to the north-east.