According to some sources, the village was built by Bedouins from Hebron, Palestine, who settled the area during the Ottoman period and were members of a tribe called Al 'Ata'ata.

[4] The perhaps 6,000 years of prior human occupation at the site included Paleolithic, Edomite, Assyrian, Egyptian, Nabataean, and Roman cultures, taking advantage of its easily-defensible topographical position, fertile soil, and water.

[4] Supposedly it preserves many aspects of Jordanian villages of the 19th century.

The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) initiated a project to protect the nature surrounding the village and promote sustainable development and tourism ("revitalization").

[4] Many of the families from Dana turn to the nearby village of Qadisiyya for access to more modern amenities.