(661750) First great Muslim dynasty.
It was founded by Mu 0101; wiyah I , who triumphed over the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law, Al 012B; , 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. 685705), 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 Abb 0101; sid dynasty . See also Abd al-Rahm 0101; n III ; Ab 016B; Muslim ; al- Husayn ibn Al 012B; .