Umayyad caliphate
Also called: Umayyads · Topic: The Roman Empire · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
The Umayyad caliphate was the first hereditary Islamic dynasty, meaning power passed down within one family. It ruled from 661 to 750 CE from Damascus in Syria. A caliph was the political head of the Muslim community. Under the Umayyads the Arab empire grew to its widest reach, from Spain in the west to Sind and Central Asia in the east.
Example
In 698 the Arabs took Carthage in North Africa. In 711 they invaded Spain and soon destroyed the Visigothic kingdom. In 712 Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sind, bringing Arab rule to the edge of India.
Don't confuse with
- Abbasid caliphate: this dynasty overthrew the Umayyads in 750 and moved the capital from Damascus to Baghdad.
Related concepts
- Diocletian
- Constantine
- Edict of Milan 313
- Christianisation of the Roman Empire
- Constantinople
- Post-Roman kingdoms
- Byzantine empire
- Justinian
- Late antiquity
- Prophet Muhammad