By 636AD the Arabs had gained control of much of the eastern Mediterranean as well as their base in the Arabian Peninsula. It was Caliph Abu Bakr who brought Islam to the area we now know as Lebanon, in fact it is around this time that the name Lebanon was adopted for the area. Feelings of nationalism, however, left the indigenous Lebanese keen to preserve their autonomy and whilst the coastal area fell to the conquering Arabs, the inhabitants of the more mountainous region managed to preserve their Lebanese identity and Christian religion, at least in the short term.
From then on a series of Arab dynasties ruled the region for the next 900 years, starting with the Umayyads (660 – 750AD). Muawiyah, their founder was governor of Syria and Lebanon and set about protecting the Arab Empire from threats by the Marada people who lived in the Lebanese mountains and were loyal to the Byzantine Empire. In 667AD Muawiyah entered into an agreement with Constantine IV to pay an annual tribute to keep the Marada at bay.
The Abbasids (750 -1258) replaced the Umayyads in 750AD adopting a much harsher regime in Lebanon which they saw as a country already conquered and fully assimilated into the Arab world. This led to revolts and an abortive rebellion by the mountain peoples in 759AD. By the end of the tenth century, the Amir (Prince) of Tyre proclaimed Lebanon an independent state but this was to be short lived falling to the Fatimids, an Egyptian Arab sect.
The Crusades (1095 – 1291) had an impact on Lebanon. After the capture of Jerusalem, the Crusaders turned their attention to the Lebanese coast and although they didn’t establish a permanent presence, their impact can be seen in the many castles and churches which they left behind.
After the departure of the crusaders, the Mamluks (1282 – 1516) controlled the area. During this time, better relationships with Europe were built due to the trade in luxury goods from the Middle East. Beirut became a centre for this trade and, despite religious conflict between different Lebanese communities, the country flourished and saw an increase in prosperity and intellectual pursuits such as science and literature.