[9] The Syriac and Kurdish names of the village, Ain Nuni and Kani Masi, respectively, both translate to "spring of fish".

[3] At the onset of the First Iraqi–Kurdish War in 1961, Kurdish rebels led by Mustafa Barzani attacked the village and killed a bishop, two priests, and over 15 men.

[16] KDP forces seized Ain Nuni from Iraqi National Defence Battalions in September 1987 during the Iran-Iraq War and occupied it for six days.

[17][18] On 27 February 1988, the village was destroyed and its population of 180 Assyrian families was forcibly evacuated by the Iraqi government during the Al-Anfal campaign.

[19] The Turkish Armed Forces established a military base close to Ain Nuni in 1996 as part of the Kurdish-Turkish conflict.

[3] It was reported that the church of Mar Sawa, built by the Supreme Committee of Christian Affairs, had been poorly constructed and its façade was at risk of collapsing.