The village, a twin of al-Nahr, was situated on a sandy, slightly elevated mound on the eastern part of the coastal plain, in the Galilee region. The village was on the highway that connected Tarshiha, the settlement of Nahariyya, and Acre. Al-Tall and its sister village al-Nahr were built over the debris of an ancient settlement that dated back as far as the eighteenth century B.C. In the late nineteenth century al-Tall had a population of 200. The residents ground their grain at a water–powered mill nearby, and tended olive, pomegranate, and mulberry trees. 
The village had a rectangular layout that stretched from southeast to northwest. Its houses were built from a variety of materials―stone blocks and cement or mud mortar and reinforced concrete―and were bunched close together. The population was predominantly Muslim. Agriculture and animal husbandry were the principal sources of livelihood. Extensive ancient ruins enclosed by a wall were found in the nearby mound of Zahrat al-Tall.
Al-Tall was one of several villages occupied during the second phase of Operation Ben-Ami on 20–21 May 1948. It probably met the same fate as other villages in western Galilee that were attacked by the Carmeli Brigade. On orders from the Brigade's commander, Moshe Carmel, most of the villages were razed by Haganah sappers following their capture. This was done 'both to punish the villagers ... and to make sure the villagers could and would never return.'
There are no Israeli settlements on village land. Some public installations belonging to the Mekorot Water Company are found near the site.
The site is covered with the rubble of stone houses and is overgrown with wild grass. One stone house still stands but its facade is missing and it is about to crumble. Cactuses and fig trees grow on the southern slopes of the site. There are four identifiable Roman and Byzantine tombs in the cemetery that lies on the northern slopes; a Christ's-thorn tree stands in its midst. Recent excavation has uncovered several ancient graves, and the place has been turned into an archaeological site.