 In 796 the city was laid waste during a civil war by the Arab tribes of the area . Gaza apparently recovered by the 9th century according to Persian geographer Istakhri who wrote that merchants grew rich there " for this place was a great market for the people of the Hejaz . " A Christian writer , writing in 867 , described it as " rich in all things " . Gaza 's port , however , occasionally succumbed to neglect under Arab rule and an overall decline in commerce followed because of infighting among Palestine 's rulers and Bedouin bandits who disrupted overland trade routes towards the city . 
