The village was located in the midst of rolling hills that descended to the coastal plain, 7 km to the west. A secondary road connected the village to the Wadi Milh highway, 3 km away, which linked the coastal plain to the northern end of Marj ibn Amir. In the late nineteenth century Khirbat Qumbaza was described as 'a small hamlet on high ground.' 
One km to the southeast lay the maqam of Shaykh Quttayna, above which was Khirbat Quttayna , where the remains of earlier structures have been discovered. Khirbat Quttayna has been identified by some scholars as the Canaanite Kartah (Joshua 21:34).
The village may have been occupied in May 1948, according to Israeli historian Benny Morris. Support for this speculation comes from the fact that nearby Umm al-Zinat was captured on 15 May by units of the Golani Brigade. Moreover, the New York Times quoted Haganah sources on 15 May as saying that Jewish forces had taken several villages on the slopes of Mount Carmel and near Afula. This occurred in the wake of the occupation of Haifa Haganah units were ordered to strike at villages in the city's hinterland in order to 'clear' the area of its inhabitants and establish an alternative route for Haganah military convoys going to the south, since the local Palestinian population blocked the coastal road south of Haifa. Khirbat Qumbaza, located in the vicinity of the inland supply route, was probably targeted for capture at that time.
Some of the village lands are part of a military training area. The settlement of Kerem Maharal, built in 1949, is also close to the village site.
The entire area is reserved for military training and is inaccessible to the public.