Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate was founded in 661 AD following the end of the Rashidun Caliphate. It became the second major Islamic caliphate, established when Muawiya I took power and moved the capital to Damascus.

At its peak, the Umayyad Caliphate was one of the largest empires in human history. Its territories stretched continuously from the Iberian Peninsula in Spain across North Africa all the way to the borders of modern India.

The caliphate was established by Muawiya I, who had previously served as the governor of Syria. He founded the hereditary Umayyad dynasty after the First Fitna, moving the administrative center of the Islamic empire to Damascus.

The Umayyad Caliphate fell in 750 AD due to a violent civil uprising known as the Abbasid Revolution. The Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad rulers, largely fueled by widespread dissatisfaction with Umayyad economic policies and favoritism toward Arab tribes.