Editing Antioch (section)

== Arab and Byzantine era ==
[[File:Fall of Antioch in 969.png|thumb|Byzantine recapture of Antioch in 969]]
In 637, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor [[Heraclius]], Antioch was conquered by [[Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah]] of the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] during the [[Battle of the Iron Bridge]], marking the beginning of Islamic influence in the region. The city became known in Arabic as {{lang|ar|أنطاكية}} {{transliteration|ALA|Anṭākiyah}}. Under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661–750 AD), Antioch served as a significant military and administrative center. The Umayyads fortified the city, utilizing it as a base for operations in the region. The city remained an important urban center, with its multicultural population including Christians, Muslims, and Jews living together, although there were periods of tension and conflict.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Hugh |title=The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In. |date= 2010 |publisher=Orion |isbn=9780297865599}}</ref> However, since the [[Umayyad|Umayyad dynasty]] was unable to penetrate the [[Anatolian Plateau]], Antioch found itself on the frontline of the conflicts between two hostile empires during the next 350&nbsp;years, so that the city went into a precipitous decline. During the Abbasid period (750–969 AD), Antioch continued to thrive as a hub of commerce and culture. Under the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasids]], closer relations were developed with Byzantium, but it was not until the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimids]] opened up the Mediterranean for shipping from the end of the fourth/tenth century that the affairs of western Europe and the Near East began to interact once again. The Abbasids placed a strong emphasis on trade, which facilitated economic prosperity in Antioch. The city became known for its diverse markets, contributing to the flow of goods and ideas between the Islamic world and the Byzantine Empire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Hugh |title=The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the Sixth to the Eleventh Century |publisher=Routledge |year= 2022 |isbn=9780367366896 |edition=4th |language=English}}</ref>

[[File:AntiochRamparts.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Defensive wall|rampart]]s of Antioch climbing Mons Silpius during the Crusades (lower left on the map, ''above left'')]]
The decline of Arab rule in Antioch began in the late 9th century with increasing pressure from the Byzantine forces. The city changed hands several times during the [[Arab–Byzantine wars|Byzantine-Arab wars]], Before finally, in 969 AD, under the Byzantine Emperor [[Nikephoros II Phokas]], the city was captured after [[Siege of Antioch (968-969)|the siege of Antioch (968–969)]] by the Byzantine general [[Michael Bourtzes]] and the ''[[stratopedarches]]'' [[Peter (stratopedarches)|Peter]]. It soon became the seat of a ''[[Dux#Later developments|doux]]'', the civil governor of the homonymous [[Theme (Byzantine district)|theme]], but also the seat of the somewhat more important ''[[Domestic of the Schools]] of the Orient'', the supreme military commander of the imperial forces on the eastern frontier. Sometimes both offices were held by the same person, usually military officers such as [[Nikephoros Ouranos]], or [[Philaretos Brachamios]], who managed to retain the integrity of the eastern borderline after the Seljuk conquest of Anatolia. The size of the Melkite community increased during that time due to immigration from Christians from Fatimid Egypt but also other parts of the Near East and Christians remained the dominant population up to the Crusades.<ref name="Kennedy" />

As the empire disintegrated rapidly before the [[Komnenian restoration]], ''Dux of Antioch'' & ''Domestic of the Schools of the East'' [[Philaretos Brachamios]] held the city until [[Suleiman ibn Qutalmish]], the [[Sultanate of Rum|emir of Rum]], captured it from him in 1084.{{sfn|Albu|2015|pp=160–161}} Two years later, Suleiman was killed fighting against [[Tutush I|Tutush]], the brother of the [[Malik-Shah I|Seljuk Sultan]], who annexed the city into the [[Seljuk Empire]].{{sfn|Grousset|1970|p=154}} [[Yagisiyan]] was appointed governor. He became increasingly independent within the tumultuous years following Malik-Shah's death in 1092.