It seems that the Sasanian invasion of 614, followed by the Muslim conquest (635-40), led to the decline of the Byzantine settlement.[8] A diminished village survived until the late 7th or early 8th century, after which it was abandoned, except for the sporadic but persistent presence of stone robbers from the mid-8th until the 12th century.[8] One recent suggestion is that the earthquake of 749 might have led to the final destruction of the Byzantine-Umayyad settlement.[8] In spite of its natural and strategic advantages, the site was only resettled in the 12th century.[8]