Anushtakin's stay in Damascus was cut short when he was recalled to Cairo.[5] By 1017,[2] he was made wali (governor) of Ba'albek.[15] He held the post for roughly four years,[15] during which he developed a positive reputation among the inhabitants.[4] It was in Ba'albek that Anushtakin acquired his own ghilman, and through them, he gained the significant wealth and knowledge of regional affairs that proved critical to his future political career in Syria, according to historian Suhayl Zakkar.[15] At this time, he also came under the patronage of the Fatimids' Armenian governor of Aleppo, Fatik Aziz ad-Dawla.[6]