Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate or the Umayyad Empire (US: ; Arabic: ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, romanized: al-Khilāfa al-Umawiyya) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 661 to 750. It succeeded the Rashidun Caliphate, of which the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, was also a member of the Umayyad clan. The Umayyad family established hereditary rule under Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the long-time governor of Greater Syria, who became caliph after emerging victorious in the First Fitna following the assassination of Ali in 661. Syria remained the Umayyads' core power base thereafter, with Damascus as their capital. After Mu'awiya's death in 680, Umayyad authority was challenged in the Second Fitna.