The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE) was the second of the four major Islamic caliphates established after Muhammad.

It was founded by Mu'awiya I, who established a dynastic, hereditary system of succession.

The Umayyads moved the capital of the caliphate from Medina to the more centrally located city of Damascus.

This period saw the continuation of rapid Islamic expansion.

Umayyad armies conquered the remaining parts of North Africa and pushed into the Iberian Peninsula (Spain).

In the east, their territory expanded into Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

The Umayyad advance into Western Europe was halted by a Frankish army at the Battle of Tours in 732 CE.

Arabic was established as the official language of the administration, and the first purely Islamic coinage was introduced.

The Umayyads built iconic architectural works, such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Great Mosque of Damascus.

Internal divisions and resentment, particularly from non-Arab Muslims (mawali), led to their overthrow by the Abbasid Revolution.