Umayyad Caliphate of Islamic World

One of the strongest and most widespread Islamic caliphate was the Umayyad. Additionally, it was the first Islamic dynasty. This meant that the Caliph, who served as the Caliphate’s ruler, was typically the son (or other male related) of the Caliph who came before him.

When was it in power?

From 661 until 750 CE, the Umayyad Caliphate dominated the Islamic Empire. After the First Muslim Civil War, Muawiyah I became caliph, and it succeeded the Rashidun Caliphate. In Damascus, where the Umayyads would rule the Islamic Empire for nearly a century, Muawiyah I founded his capital. When the Abbasids took over in 750 CE, the Umayyad Caliphate came to an end.

Which countries did it rule?

The Umayyad Caliphate increased the size of the Islamic Empire, making it one of the biggest empires ever. At its height, the Umayyad Caliphate ruled over Spain, much of North Africa, the Middle East, and portions of India. Approximately 62 million people, or nearly 30% of the world’s population at the time, are thought to have lived under the Umayyad Caliphate, according to historians.

Government

The Byzantines (Eastern Roman Empire), who had previously ruled a large portion of the territory the Umayyads had conquered, served as the model for the Umayyad governance. They separated the empire into provinces, and the governors of each province were chosen by the Caliph. Additionally, they established “diwans” to manage various government agencies.

Contributions

The Umayyads contributed significantly to the Islamic Empire in a number of ways. Many of their contributions were with bringing the vast empire and the numerous civilizations it now included together. These included adopting Arabic as the official language of the empire, establishing a common coinage, and standardising weights and measurements. They also constructed some of the most venerated structures in Islamic history, such as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

The Umayyads’ fall

Unrest in the populace and opposition to the Umayyads grew as the empire grew. Many Muslims believed that the Umayyads had became too secular and had abandoned Islamic principles. A number of groups, notably the Kharjites, non-Arab Muslims, and Ali’s adherents, started to rebel, producing unrest in the empire. The Umayyad Caliphate was overthrown in 750 by the Abbasids, an opposing clan to the Umayyads. For the following several hundred years, they established the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled the majority of the Islamic world.

Iberian Peninsula

Abd al Rahman, one of the Umayyad leaders, made his way to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain), where he founded his own kingdom at Cordoba. Parts of Spain were still ruled by the Umayyads there well into the 1400s.

Facts about the Umayyad Caliphate that are interesting

The name Umayyad is often written as “Omayyad.”

Non-Muslims were subject to a unique tax. They were given defence under the Caliphate thanks to this fee. Those who converted to Islam were exempt from the levy.

Because the Umayyad dynasty’s rulers were inherited rather than elected, some historians view it as more of a “kingdom” than a Caliphate.

When Hussein refused to swear allegiance to the Umayyads, the famed fourth caliph Ali’s son Yazid (son of Muawiya I) had Hussein assassinated.

Nearly 6,000 miles separated the frontiers of the Umayyad Caliphate from the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain) in Asia to the Indus River.