[1] Having earned wealth and standing in the 18th century, the family was well established in Aleppo,[2] although they had gone through troubles: a relative of Maryana, Butrus Marrash, was killed by the wali's troops in the midst of a Catholic–Orthodox clash in April 1818.

[6] He had built up a large private library[7] to give his three children Francis, Abdallah and Maryana a thorough education, particularly in the field of Arabic language and literature.

[14] In addition to her formal education in these schools, where she was exposed to French and Anglo-Saxon cultures, she was tutored by her father and brothers, especially on the subject of Arabic literature.

Marrash was granted permission by the Ottoman government to print her book after composing a poem exalting Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

[25] Sami Kayyali said about Marrash: The emergence of a woman writing in the press and composing poetry in this dark era was a significant event.

Our recent history shows that it was rare for even men to read and write; her appearance in these dark nights was thus like a bright star in the center of the heavens.

[29] As related by Joseph Zeidan:Upon her return in Aleppo, Maryana Marrash turned her house into a gathering place for a group of celebrated writers who met there on a regular basis to cultivate each other's friendship and discuss literature, music, and political and social issues.

[7]However, according to Joseph Zeidan, there are no proofs supporting whether or not she created her salon after seeing similar ones in Europe; in any case, it did not start from scratch, since "most of the participants were regular visitors to her family's home, where they used to meet with her father and two brothers.