The name of the town is mentioned in Bar Hebraeus's book entitled "A Brief History of the Countries," where he states: "Mongol troops attacked the area of Erbil on Sunday July 1285 and reached some villages ... including Ankawa."

It is also home to Cathedral of Saint Joseph (Umra d'Mar Yosip), the seat of the Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Arbil.

One of the main reasons for the town's population rise is due to the ISIS takeover of the Nineveh Plains in 2014 after KRG security forces forcibly disarmed local populations in the Nineveh Plains,[11][12][13][14][15][16] asserting a full monopoly of arms and control over security,[17][18] while pledging to protect all, and then preemptively retreated from their posts as ISIS approached,[19] abandoning the local populations and exposing them to genocide,[20] all without informing locals that they were withdrawing at the last minute and without firing a single bullet.

[28] The report also provided documentation of the ordinance in question that proved that a new tax policy specifically in Ankawa had been created by the KRG.

The report concluded that the tax rate was imposed on the city of Ankawa as an act of business discrimination against one of the only Assyrian-majority areas in KRG jurisdiction.

They encouraged the KRG to formally accept their role in this policy, and claimed that they, “[stand] ready to meet with KRG officials both in Iraq and in the United States to address the many long-standing grievances of Ankawa residents, including the improper confiscation of lands belonging to Assyrians and KRG policies advancing demographic change in the area, as well as interference in local, regional, and federal elections for Assyrian representatives.”[28] Within the last decade, Ankawa has developed rapidly educationally and technologically.

After the fall of Mosul to ISIL militants, many Christians who had been displaced came to Ankawa and have been provided with personal needs by the church and international organizations.