Umayyad Administrative Reforms

Timeline

1. 685–700Damascus · SyriaCaliph Abd al-Malik ordered Arabic to replace Greek in the Syrian diwan and Persian in the Iraqi diwan, unifying the administrative language of the empire and weakening the independence of the bureaucratic elites of the conquered peoples.
2. 660–690Iraq · IraqThe Umayyad regime adjusted the jizya and land taxes levied on non-Muslim subjects (dhimmi), regularized Arab tribal military service and settlement allotments, and strengthened central control over the fiscal and military resources of the provinces.
3. 696–700Damascus · SyriaAbd al-Malik abolished the circulation of Byzantine gold coinage and Sasanian silver coinage, minting pure gold dinars and pure silver dirhams inscribed with Quranic verses, establishing a unified monetary system for the Islamic world and promoting commercial integration of the empire.