After the
Muslim conquest of the Levant, the Mardaites gained a semi-independent status around the Nur Mountains within
al-ʿAwāṣim, the Byzantine-Arab border region. They initially agreed to serve as mercenaries for the Arabs and to guard the
Amanian Gate, but their loyalty was intermittent and they often sided with the
Byzantine Empire as their agenda varied. According to Greek and Syriac historians, their territory stretched from the Amanus to the "holy city", the latter often identified as
Jerusalem, although more likely to refer to
Cyrrhus, also called Hagioupolis, the capital of
Cyrrhestica, in upper Syria. Their numbers were swelled by thousands of runaway slaves, making them an ethnically diverse group. In light of this, it is claimed that they forced
Muawiyah I, Caliph of the
Umayyad Caliphate, to pay tribute to the
Byzantine emperor Constantine IV, or possibly to them instead. There they were conscripted as rowers and
marines in the
Byzantine navy for several centuries. Others however remained behind and continued raiding Muslim-held territories until their chief stronghold fell to Umayyad prince-general
Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik in 708. Maslama then resettled them throughout Syria, and although he allowed them to retain their faith, he conscripted them into his army. ==Notable Mardaites==