Saracen Raid IX cent.

Saracen (/ˈsærəsən/ SARR-ə-sən) was a term used by Christian writers in Europe during the Middle Ages to refer to Muslims, primarily of Arab origin. The term’s meaning evolved during its history of usage; in the early centuries of the Christian era, Greek and Latin writings used the term to refer to the people who lived in the desert areas in and near the Roman province of Arabia Petraea, as well as in Arabia Deserta. During the Early Middle Ages in Europe, the term came to be associated with the tribes of Arabia. The oldest-known source mentioning “Saracens” in relation to Islam dates back to the 7th century; it was found in Doctrina Jacobi, a Christian Greek-language commentary that discussed, among other things, the Muslim conquest of the Levant that occurred after the establishment of the Rashidun Caliphate following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad