Rise of the Umayyad Caliphate

Rise of the Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate was established after the death of Muhammad in AD 632, making it the third caliphate in Islam's history. It began when Abu Sufyan ibn Harith al-Ash'al succeeded his father, who had been one of the wealthiest men in Mecca before converting to Islam with other early Muslims. The first Umayyad ruler was Muawiyah I, who proclaimed himself caliph upon the assassination of Ali, the fourth caliph, during the First Civil War.

Following this conflict, Muawiya made Damascus the capital of the new empire, which spread from North Africa to Spain in the west, all the way to Central Asia in the east. This territory encompassed two continents and three seas. A significant event in the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate occurred around AD 709, when the last Abbasid caliph was murdered by members of the Hashimite family, allowing the Umayyads to succeed them. The reign of the Umayyads continued until their overthrow by the Abbasids in AD 750.