Umayyad Dynasty

(661–750) First great Muslim dynasty. It was founded by Mu&ayn;āwiyah I, who triumphed over the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law, &ayn;Alī, to become the fifth caliph. He moved the capital from Medina to Damascus and used the Syrian army to extend the Arab empire.

The Umayyads' greatest period was under Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705), when their empire extended from Spain to Central Asia and India. Their decline began with a defeat by the Byzantine Empire in 717; intertribal feuding, discontent among non-Arab Muslim converts, and the failure of financial reforms eventually led to their unseating by the &ayn;Abbāsid dynasty. &Seealso; &ayn;Abd al-Ra&hsubdot;mān III; Abū Muslim; al-&Hsubdot;usayn ibn &ayn;Alī.