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Umayyad Caliphate

The first dynastic Islamic caliphate, ruling from Damascus; at its height the largest empire the world had yet seen, stretching from Iberia and Morocco to the Indus and Central Asia.

Overthrown in 750 CE by the Abbasid Revolution; the decisive Battle of the Zab in northern Iraq crushed Umayyad forces and Caliph Marwan II was hunted down and killed in Egypt. The Abbasids succeeded them, ruling first from Kufa and al-Hashimiyya before al-Mansur founded Baghdad in 762.

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Borders over time

The atlas holds 3 border frames for Umayyad Caliphate — the shape you scrub through changes in 661 · 691 · 711.

Further reading

• The first dynasty of Islam G. R. Hawting · 1986

  The leading English-language history of the Umayyad Caliphate, covering its rise, administration, and fall.

• The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates Hugh Kennedy · 1986

  Broad survey situating the Umayyads within the sweep of early Islamic history.

Sources

• Wikipedia, 'Umayyad Caliphate' (Q8575586)
• Abbasid revolution — Wikipedia (via WebSearch 2026-06-26)
• Campaign A audit correction — Wikipedia's own lead claims only 'one of the largest empires in history in terms of geographical size'. The largest by area is the British Empire; the Umayyad state is conventional
• Campaign A audit correction — It was the second Abbasid caliph, Al Mansur (754-75), who decided to build a new capital, surrounded by round walls … Baghdad.