[2] The first mentions of Zabala are in seals from the Jemdet Nasr period including a list of early sites - Ur, Nippur, Larsa, Uruk, Kes, and Zabalam.

[5] In the Sargonic Period, Rimush of Akkad reports Zabala as attempting to rebel against the control of the Akkadian Empire:[6] "Rimuš, king of the world, in battle over Adab and Zabalam was victorious, and 15,718 men he struck down, and 14,576 captives he took.

Further, from their two cities many men he expelled, and to annihilation he consigned them"Shar-kali-sharri and Naram-Sin both reported building a temple to the goddess Inanna in Zabala.

[8] After the fall of Akkad, Zabala came into the sphere of the city-state of Isin as reported by the year names of several rulers including Itar-pisa and Ur-Ninurta.

[10] Cuneiform texts state that Hammurabi built Zabala's temple Ezi-Kalam-ma (House of the Life of the Land) to the goddess Inanna.

Several public and religious buildings were uncovered, a number of cuneiform tablets and an inscribed stone foundation cylinder of Warad-Sin, king of Larsa were found.