He further noted that beside a birket in the rock, a few cisterns and an ancient column shaft which was placed near a small mosque, all of Surif's constructions seemed more or less modern.

[7] An official Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed 87 houses and a population of 265, counting men only.

[8][9] In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Surif as "A small village on a low hill, with olives to the south.

[20] Surif was originally settled by people from nearby Beit Ummar and possibly others.

It is also known as "Kuffin a-Tahta" since its residents, as those of Beit Ummar, lived there in the 16th century.