The Tanoukh princes encouraged advances in history, astronomy, language, medicine and poetry. Art and crafts, wood and stone carving, as well as calligraphy, flourished during the second part of the 15th century. Abey had become a cultural hub. In the beginning of the 19th century, Protestant American missionaries came to Abey and in 1839 started a medical center where the first operation was performed according to Western standards. A great number of famous personalities such as scholars, doctors, educators and journalists came from Abey, not to mention the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Gregoire Haddad. Abey is the seat of the Nakadi druze family, the noble ruling family in Mount Lebanon along with Junblatt, Al Imad, Talhouk and Abdul Malak. Ιn 1845 part of the Nakadi family, namely sheikh Qassim beik Al Nakadi and his brothers sheikh Salim beik Al Nakadi and sheikh Said beik Al Nakadi moved to Abey from Deir Al Qamar. Abey is the birthplace of the diplomatic () Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economic Development (1947-1952) in the reign of King Abdul Aziz Al Sa'ud. One of his famous books, "Al-Bilad Al-Arabia Al-Saudia". Toufic Amin Hamza, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Paris and Ankara (1908–1933) Presbyterian missionary Layyah Barakat was born in Aabey, and returned in 1922 to open an orphanage for girls there. The main families in Aabey are: Hamza, Halabi, Haddad, Hassan, Abdel Wili, Amaneldine, Ataya, Faraj, Jamal, Jaber, Nakadi, Nasr, Kuntar, Ghrayeb, Khoury, Kanaan, Raydan, Shreety, Timani and Wehbe.