 Although their rule was short in time, it was then that Palermo (called "Balharm" in Arabic) displaced Syracuse as the prime city of Sicily; it was said to have competed with Córdoba and Cairo in terms of importance and splendor.In general, the Arab rule was tolerant, and Jews also had their space and were allowed to prosper.The Arabs are also said to have left a lasting influence on Sicilian culture and especially "the Arab concept of the family",

After dynasty related quarrels however, there was a Christian reconquest in the form of the Normans from the Duchy of Normandy, descendants of the Vikings; the family who returned the city to Christianity were called the Hautevilles .