During the early Muslim period the Arabic sources referred to the valley as Wadi Butnan (the lowland valley) or Butnan Habib (the lowlands of Habib), after the Muslim commander
Habib ibn Maslama al-Fihri, who conquered the area during the
early Muslim conquests (630s–640s). The region, located about east of
Aleppo, was part of
Jund Qinnasrin (the military district of northern
Syria). The
Umayyad caliph
Abd al-Malik camped in the valley in the winter of 689–690 in preparation of a confrontation with
Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr of Iraq. In 901, it was sacked by the
Qarmatians. In 966, it was ravaged by
Nikephoros II Phokas. Later on,
Kilabi chief Abu Za'ida led a tribal coalition in the region which defeated Seljuk reinforcements to
Tutush I who was besieging Aleppo during the reign of
Sabiq ibn Mahmud of the
Mirdasid dynasty in 1080. However, Seljuk revenge led to the extermination of the
Ismaili community. In 1098, it was attacked by the Armenians in the region during the events of the
First Crusade. The lord of
Tell Bashir,
Jocelin, devastated the region in 1125. In 1138, it was occupied by the Byzantine emperor
John II Komnenos. It was later captured by
Nur ad-Din of the
Zengid dynasty. ==Dams==