The Umayyad Caliphate/ Dynasty

Umayyad Caliphate 


The Umayyad Caliphate was one among the foremost powerful and expansive of the Islamic Caliphates. It was also the primary of the Islamic dynasties.
This meant the Caliphate chief, called the Caliph, was probably the preceding Caliph's son (or other male relatives).

When did it rule?

The Islamic Empire was ruled by the Umayyad Caliphate from 661-750 CE. It succeeded the Rashidun Caliphate when Muawiyah I became Caliph after the primary Muslim war.
Muawiyah I built his capital within the city of Damascus where for nearly 100 years the Umayyads would rule the Islamic Empire.
The Umayyad Caliphate was delivered to an end in 750 CE when the Abbasids took control.
Map showing the expansion of the Islamic Empire under the Caliphate

What lands did it rule? 

The Umayyad Caliphate expanded the Islamic Empire into one of the most important empires within the history of the planet. At its peak, the Umayyad Caliphate controlled the center East, parts of India, much of North Africa, and Spain. Historians estimate the Umayyad Caliphate had a population of around 62 million people, which was nearly 30% of the world's population at the time. Government.

After the Byzantines (Eastern Roman Empire), who had previously ruled much of the land occupied by the Umayyads, the Umayyads modeled their State.
They divided the empire into provinces, each ruled by a Caliph-appointed governor.
They also established government agencies called "diwans" which handled various government agencies.

Contributions


Many of their contributions had to try to to with unifying the massive empire and therefore the many cultures that were now a part of the empire. These included creating a standard coinage, establishing Arabic because of the official language throughout the empire, and standardizing weights and measures. They also built some of the most revered buildings of Islamic history including the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.Picture of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem Dome of the Rock Source: Wikimedia Commons Fall of the Umayyads As the empire expanded, unrest among the people and opposition to the Umayyads increased. Many Muslims felt that the Umayyads had become too secular and weren't following the ways of Islam.

Groups of individuals including the followers of Ali, non-Arab Muslims, and therefore the Kharijites began to rebel causing turmoil within the empire.A rival group to the Umayyads, the Abbasids rose to power in 750 and overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate.

They took control and formed the Abbasid Caliphate which might rule much of the Islamic world for the subsequent several hundred years. The Iberian Peninsula One of the Umayyad leaders, Abd al Rahman, escaped to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) where he established his own kingdom within the city of Cordoba. There the Umayyads continued to rule portions of Spain until well into the 1400s.

Like & Share with your insects of the Book!!!