(661 – 750) First great Muslim dynasty. It was founded by
Mu'awiyah I, who triumphed over the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law,
'Ali, to become the fifth caliph. He moved the capital from Medina to
Damascus and used the Syrian army to extend the Arab empire. The Umayyads' greatest period was under
Abd al-Malik (r. 685 – 705), when their empire extended from Spain to Central Asia and India. Their decline began with a defeat by the
Byzantine Empire in 717; intertribal feuding, discontent among non-Arab Muslim converts, and the failure of financial reforms eventually led to their unseating by the
'Abbasid dynasty.
See also 'Abd al-Rahman III;
Abu Muslim; al-
Husayn ibn 'Ali.
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