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Umayyad Caliphate

Type Object Region Syria Time 661–750

The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE) was the first hereditary dynasty in Islamic history, founded by Muawiya in Syria with its capital at Damascus;…

Timeline

  1. 661–680Damascus · LevantMuawiya used Syria as his power base, establishing a hereditary caliphate in Damascus, breaking with the elective tradition of the Orthodox period, and integrating Byzantine and Persian administrative institutions to consolidate his rule.
  2. 685–715Umayyad Empire territory · North AfricaAbd al-Malik and his son al-Walid I implemented currency reforms, Arabized administrative documents, continued the conquest of Central Asia to the east and Iberia to the west, and built the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, bringing the empire to its greatest territorial extent.
  3. 740–750Zab River, Iraq · IraqIn later years the caliphs' authority declined and discontent accumulated in Khurasan and Iraq; the Abbasid family united various forces to launch a revolution, and after the Battle of the Great Zab in 750 the Umayyad main force was destroyed, leaving only the Umayyad dynasty continuing in Iberia.

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