[6] A tradition connects the village with Dositheos, a Samaritan religious leader possibly active during the 1st century CE.

[5] The Samaritan chronicler Abu l-Fath (14th century) mentions that Dositheos died of starvation after going to 'Anbata where he hid in a cave, fasting in an effort to gain wisdom.

According to the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine, the site appeared "ancient",[8] and rock-cut tombs and a tank of good masonry had been found.

[5] During the reign of Mamluk Sultan Baibars al-Bunduqdari in the 13th century, Anabta served as a central staging point from which to supply the Muslim armies fighting Crusader and Mongol incursions.

The location was chosen because it was considered relatively easy to protect as the area is nestled between two large hills.

[8] A portion of the Hejaz Railway used to run through the centre of the town, parallel to the main street.

[14][15] In the 1936 Anabta shooting, on the night of April 15, 1936, a prelude to the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine, about 20 vehicles traveling on the road outside Anabta were stopped at a road block constructed for the purpose by armed villagers, and forced to hand over weapons and cash.

[18] On October 12, 1936, when the rebellion stopped, the Daily Telegraph reporter described the village during his visit to it, he said: "Anabta, the scene of several encounters between British troops and Arabs, was the only place through which I passed where the inhabitants showed truculence".

Shortly after the war, Anabta underwent major development and achieved local council status.

[27] In the 1931 census of Palestine, the combined population of Anabta, Iktaba and Nur ash Shams was 2498; 2,457 Muslims, 34 Christians and 1 Druze living in 502 houses.

[3] The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group operates a clinic in Anabta envisaged as a centre for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy in the northern West Bank.