Umayyad

Umayyad refers to the Umayyad dynasty, a ruling clan of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca, most closely associated with the Umayyad Caliphate, the second major Islamic caliphate established after the Rashidun. The dynasty was founded by Muawiya I, who displaced rival factions and established the capital at Damascus, creating a centralized administrative system that governed a wide empire.

Under the Umayyads, Muslim rule expanded considerably. The caliphate extended from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to parts of Central Asia in the east, incorporating diverse populations under Arab-led administration. Notable rulers such as Abd al-Malik and al-Walid I promoted administrative reforms, standardized coinage, and monumental architecture. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Great Mosque of Damascus are among the era’s enduring architectural legacies. The era also saw the spread of Islam as a state-supported religion and the consolidation of Arabic as the language of administration and culture.

The Umayyad period faced internal opposition to dynastic succession and Arab dominance, drawing support from non-Arab Muslims and various factions. This discontent culminated in the Abbasid Revolution, and in 750 the Umayyads were overthrown, with the dynasty’s remnants retreating to Iberia. In 756 Abd al-Rahman I established the Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba, which later became the Caliphate of Córdoba in 929, remaining a political and cultural center on the Iberian Peninsula for several centuries.

The Umayyad era left a lasting imprint on Islamic governance, architecture, and culture, influencing later dynasties both in the eastern Islamic heartlands and in Al-Andalus.