ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on 'rural converter' of the Arabs, an unhelpfully broad appellation for a diverse range of people who could be categorized as everything between fully settled to fully nomadic in seventh century. It discusses the central and northern parts of the Arena, and the conversion of the Arabs outside the context of their position between the Roman and Sasanian Empires. The chapter considers that, to the contrary, Arab adoption of church-building activity as a means of identification with the Christian faith as attested in the growing epigraphic evidence shows a tangible degree of integration. Movement is not only an important factor when considering human geography, but is also related to the flexibility manifested in many dimensions of Arab society. The area of encounter between Arab tribes, especially Ghassanid confederation, and the Hellenized culture of the Roman East saw the emergence of the Arabic script, which would be used to declare in written, public form Arab association with power.
