In 1624, when the Ottoman sultan recognized Fakhr-al-Din II as lord of Arabistan (from Aleppo to the borders of Egypt),[1] the Druze leader made Tiberias his capital.

Mulhim's forces battled and defeated those of Mustafa Pasha, Beylerbey of Damascus, in 1642, but he is reported by historians to have been otherwise loyal to Ottoman rule.

[2] Following Mulhim's death in 1658,[3] his sons Ahmad and Korkmaz (or Qurqmaz)[4] entered into a power struggle with other Ottoman-backed Druze leaders.

[6] Ottoman troops pillaged the area, seeking for the lords of Shihabs, Hamades and Ma'anis, causing "misery" to the peasants.

[citation needed] Alternative pro-Ottoman sheikhs Sirhal Imad and Ali Alam al-Din were briefly installed to rule the Druze country.