UmmayadCaliphate

Jess M/B Jon M/A

=**__Introduction__**=

Islam was founded by the prophet Muhammad in 620 AD. The Islamic religion became a thriving force in creating one of the most powerful empires in history. Islam was associated with many different periods of rule. One of the greatest periods of rule was during the Ummayad dynasty. The ummayad dynasty was one of the most significant dynasties in the history of Islam, in terms of accomplishments.

__Empire and Rulers__ The Ummayad Empire was the sixth largest empire in history. The Ummayad family originally came from the city of Mecca. The first Ummayads were the Sufyanids. Sufyanids were the descendants of Abu Sufyan, a Sunni ruler. The empire was ruled by the Ummayad dynasty. It was the first Islamic dynasty who ruled from (661-750). The establishment of the Ummayad Caliphate was what helped create the way for the spread of Islam. Also one of the biggest achievement during the Ummayad Caliphate was the creation of the Dome of the Rock. Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock. Today it is one of the most famous Islamic sites in Jerusalem. It is a Muslim shrine built over a sacred stone. The Dome of the Rock was definitely a big accomplishment during the Ummayad Caliphate. The first caliph was Muawiya, who was an exceptionally good ruler in some ways. For example, he accomplished making Damascus the capital of the Islamic Empire. He wanted to strengthen his rule by making a truce with the Byzantines. By doing this he strengthened his military position and conquered Egypt. Another example of his good judgement in rule was, he created a vastly trained army of Syrian soldiers. This army was successful in expanding Muslim authority west into North Africa. Muawiya ruled his army well, but failed to succeed in some aspects of his reign. An example of this is when he led voyages into Anatolia in 672, which ended in an unsuccessful rule of Constantinople for three years. However he retained the directorial structures left by the Persians. Before Muawiya died, he left duty to his son Yazid. Yazid ruled from (680-683) AD. Yazid was the second Sufyanid and the second of the Ummayads. Yazid was looked upon as a decent but non respected ruler because some people questioned his rule. An example of this was Husayn Ali, son of Ali, who refused to honor Yazid’s rule. Yazid demanded his loyalty, but Husayn Ali declined to follow his orders. Yazid sent orders to kill Husayn Ali, but he had already left Damascus for Iraq. From then on Yazid considered him a threat to his rule. Both Muawiya and Yazid were passable Sunni rulers, who took great authority during their reigns. Map of ummayad conquers Palace of Ummayad Caliphate =__Damascus__=

Damascus was the capital of the thriving Umayyad caliphate. From here, they would rule an incredibly powerful empire expanding from Europe to India. Before Damascus, the Umayyad caliphate was controlled from Medina for a short period of time. Under Muawiyah I, who was the first caliph, this transformation occured. Muawiyah set the empire in Damascus after killing the old emperor (Ali) in battle. Muawiya was very successful in establishing Damascus the capital of the Empire. Damascus was dubbed "Home of the Great Mosque" in present day terms. The great Mosque is a large mosque in the city of Damascus. It is famous because it is supposedly the first monumental work of architecture for all of Islam. This means that Damascus; its home, is looked upon in a respective and responsible manner. The Great Mosque served as a meeting/conferencing point after Mecca to make sure Muslims were on the same side of the fence at all points. This lead them to become more powerful when it came to ruling neighboring territory. The ideas for building this famous work of art derive from Rome. The precise dimensions of the Great Mosque are 97 meters by 156 meters. Abd-Al-Malik played a phenominal role in Damascus by organizing uses for the Great Mosque. After 10 long and worthy years, his reign came to an end. Finally, the Ummayads were overthrown by the Abassids, and the capital was moved to Cordoba.

The Great Mosque of Damascus =__Conclusion__= The Umayyad dynasty altogether fell apart in the year 750. At its most successful point, the dynasty extended from Central Asia and the Indian border to the Atlantic Ocean. The most successful caliph, Muawija, died in 680, and happened to be the first caliph, unfortunately. Due to the fact that his time was so early, the rest of the followers of the Umayyad caliphate went slowly downhill altogether at an early time. Muawija also hurt the Umayyads in the longrun by telling his people to depict religion into a secular Arab state, making it second choice. Finally, a viscous and mysterious (at the time) plague put an end to the Umayyads. Through typical germs spreading slowly, but surely, 1000's were sickened in an extremely fatal manner. Overall, the Umayyads were an extremely successful caliphate/dynasty, and they have created a noticeable impact on even today's society.

Umayyad Empire

__**-Notes-**__
 * took charge of various governments; poweful
 * most famous- Muawiya Umayyad (first caliph)
 * Yazid, Uthman
 * established personal coin system
 * founded by Abd-al-Malik
 * pictures of Arabic legends covered majority of coins
 * established by Muawiya I
 * Uthman murdered and replaced with Ali (different from Ali in Rashidan caliphate)
 * caliphate was extended under power of Al-Walid (maybe Ul-Walid)
 * Muawija conquered governments/successful
 * cultivated the goodwill of christains
 * Islamic Empire spread to North Africa, Spain, and Central Asia
 * Uthman was a member of the Ummayad but was replaced by Ali because he was murdered.
 * Ummayad caliphate was the second of the four Islamic caliphates established after muhammad died
 * Capital of the caliphate was Damascus
 * Ummayad family originally came from the city of Mecca
 * First Ummayads were the Sufyanids (661-684)
 * death of Muawiya II (683-684)
 * Last Ummayad caliph of Syria Marwan II (744-750)
 * Ummayads were destroyed in 750

=__Sources__= [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [|www.ancient.history.nl]