Remains have been found from
Early Bronze IB, EB II,
Middle Bronze Age II and
Iron Age II, as well as coins from the
Ptolemaic dynasty and
Antiochus III. Tombs from the 2nd to the 4th centuries have been found. Nahf contains
Persian,
Hellenistic and
Roman remains. In the
Crusader era it was known as "Nef." In 1249
John Aleman transferred land, including the
casalia of
Beit Jann,
Sajur,
Majd al-Krum and Nahf to the
Teutonic Knights. In and around Nahf, there are a number of
archaeological remains dating from the
Middle Ages, including mosaics and a cemetery. In a nearby location lies the shrines of Muslim leaders Sheik Muhammad Rabiah and Sheik Mahmud who fought against the Crusaders. The Auba cave, which dates from the time of the
Assyrians, is also located here. Remains, including potsherds of bowls, plates and jars, all from
Mamluk era, (fourteenth–fifteenth centuries CE), have been found in archaeological excavations. A map from 1799 by
Pierre Jacotin showed the place, named as "Nafeh". When
Victor Guérin visited Nahf in 1875, he described the village as containing 400
Muslims and some
Greek Orthodox families, while in 1881 Nahf was described as a village of 200 Muslims living in houses built of stone surrounded by
olive groves and arable land. A population list from 1887 showed that Nahf had about 475 inhabitants; all Muslims.
British Mandate In the
1922 census of Palestine conducted by the
British Mandate authorities, Nahf had a population of 818, 2
Jews, 6
Christians and 810
Muslims. where all the Christians were
Orthodox. At the time of the
1931 census the population had increased to 994, all Muslims, in 194 houses. In the
1945 statistics the population of Nahf was 1,320, all Muslims, who owned 15,745
dunams of land according to an official land and population survey. 1,088 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 4,571 used for cereals, while 44 dunams were built-up (urban) land.
Israel Nahf was captured by Israel on 18 July 1948 during
Operation Dekel led by the Sheva (Seventh) Brigade. Its defenders included the town's local
militia as well as
Arab Liberation Army volunteers. The town was left intact and most residents did not flee their homes. According to Benny Morris, Israeli troops may have used undue force to compel residents to hand over weapons, which sparked an irate response from the military commander who said those who committed such acts would be prosecuted and punished. The population remained under
Martial Law until 1966. ==Demographics==