The village was situated on two small hills southeast of the foothills of Mount Carmel, on the edge of the area known as the bilad al-rawha', 'the country of fragrant vines' (see Daliyat al-Rawha', Haifa sub-district). The outline of the larger hill was circular, while that of the smaller, to the east, was more elongated and was oriented in a northwest-southeast direction. Secondary roads linked al-Sindiyana to neighboring villages as well as to a highway that fed the coastal highway. Its name meant 'oak tree' in Arabic. The original inhabitants came from two neighboring villages, Umm al-Fahm and Arraba, and founded the village over two centuries ago. 
In the late nineteenth century, al-Sindiyana was situated on high ground with a spring below it. It had an estimated 300 residents cultivating 22 faddans (1 faddan
= 100-250 dunums). Its houses were made of masonry. Al-Sindiyana had a boys' elementary school with an enrollment of 200 students in 1942/43. Its numerous springs and wells provided water for both domestic use and irrigation. The villagers obtained their livelihood from agriculture and animal husbandry, growing mainly grain and vegetables, especially tomatoes. In 1944/45 a total of 7,313 dunums was allotted to cereals; 525 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, of which 200 dunums were used for olives. The archaeological site of al-Khirba lay about 2 km southwest of al-Sindiyana. It is reported to contain building foundations, and pottery and tesserae have been seen on its surface. Somewhat more distant was Khirbat Rusaysa which with its mosaics, rock-cut wine press, and columns suggested Roman-Byzantine settlement.
