Remains from the Roman and Byzantine eras have been found here, including a coin made under Emperor Mauritius Tiberius (596–597 CE).

[10] The settlement continued during Ayyubid and Mamluk times, with the wealth of pottery and glass found here indicating a strong economy.

[13] According to one account, Al-Masmiyya al-Kabira is said to have been established by migrants from the Hauran in the 18th or early 19th century, originating from a location called Mesmiyeh (near Azra'a).

[18][19] The adjectival al-Kabira ("major") was later added to Masmiyya's name to distinguish it from the nearby al-Masmiyya al-Saghira, established in the mid-19th century.

In the late 19th century, al-Masmiyya al-Kabira was laid out in a trapezoid-like pattern, with the long base of the trapezoid facing west.

The New York Times reported that it had been occupied on 11 July, blocking an Egyptian attempt to break through to Latrun from the direction of al-Majdal.

"[5] Following the war the area was incorporated into the State of Israel and Morris reports that by 27 May 1949, 21 of the approx 400 former Palestinian Arab villages had been repopulated by newly arrived ‘olim, Al-Masmiyya al-Kabira along with Aqir, Zarnuqa, Yibna, Ijzim, Ein Hawd, Tarshiha, Safsaf, Tarbikha, Dayr Tarif and that six more including Deir Yassin were slated for colonization.

[27] According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, in reference to the remains of al-Masmiyya al-Kabira in 1992: The two schools and several village houses are extant.

A date palm tree grows in the yard of a house that belonged to a Palestinian named Tawfiq al-Rabi.