[2][9][10] Its geographical position made it the "front-line" theme facing the attacks of the Muslim fleets of the Levant and Egypt, and consequently the Cibyrrhaeots played a major role in the naval aspect of the Byzantine–Arab Wars.

[11] The land, which was known for its fertility,[1] suffered from the frequent and devastating Arab raids, which largely depopulated the countryside except for the fortified cities and naval bases.

[2][13] Like its other counterparts, the Cibyrrhaeot Theme was divided into droungoi and tourmai, and possessed the full array of typical thematic administrative positions.

Among the most important subordinates of the strategos were the imperial ek prosopou at Syllaion, the droungarioi of Attaleia and Kos and the katepano who commanded the theme's Mardaites.

[2][14] These were the descendants of several thousand people transplanted from the area of Lebanon and settled there by Emperor Justinian II (r. 685–695, 705–711) in the 680s to provide crews and marines for the fleet.