Inkhil

Roman period

In antiquity, Inkhil was known as Neeila. Among the ancient ruins found in the village are the remains of a large villa dating to the 2nd century CE during Roman rule. Within the building is a large vaulted central hall which connects to several rooms containing busts and other Roman-era sculptures carved from basalt. Its facade has highly decorated entrances and conch-head niches.

An inscription found on lintel fragments in an abandoned house records the construction of a temple in 161–163 CE, funded by temple treasurers named Ailius Torquatus and Sados.

During Byzantine rule, Inkhil was dominated by the Ghassanids, Arab vassals of the empire based in nearby Jabiya.

Ottoman period

In 1596, Inkhil appeared in the Ottoman tax registers under the name of Nahal, being part of the nahiya of Bani Kilab in the Sanjak of Hauran. It had an entirely Muslim population consisting of 86 households and 45 bachelors. They paid a fixed tax rate of 40% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and beehives; in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 13,000 akçe. Most of the income (22 out of 24 parts) went to a waqf (religious trust).

In the early 1840s, the city consisted of about 50 houses, all of which were inhabited by Muslims. According to German archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher, Inkhil was recorded to be a "small place numbering 55 to 60 huts" in 1897.

Modern era