The Rise of Islam Art and Architecture in Humanities Quizlet

8.10: Expansion Under the Umayyad Caliphates

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72240

Learning Objective

• Describe the advancements made under the Umayyad Caliphate

Key Points

• The Umayyad Caliphate, which emerged afterwards the Rashidun Caliphate collapsed, was characterized by hereditary elections and territory expansion.
• The Umayyad Caliphate became one of the largest unitary states in history and 1 of the few states to ever extend straight rule over three continents.
• When the Abbasid dynasty revolted against the Umayyads and killed many of their ruling family members, a few Umayyads escaped to the Iberian peninsula and founded the Cordoba Caliphate, characterized past peaceful affairs, religious tolerance, and cultural flourishing.

Terms

Umayyad Caliphate

The 2d of the 4 major Arab caliphates established after the expiry of Muhammad.

Dome of the Rock

A shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Al-Andalus

Also known as Muslim Spain or Islamic Iberia, a medieval Muslim territory and cultural domain occupying at its elevation most of modern-twenty-four hour period Spain and Portugal.

Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)

The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established afterwards the expiry of Muhammad. This caliphate was centered on the Umayyad dynasty, hailing from Mecca. The Umayyad family had first come to power under the tertiary caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (r. 644–656), only the Umayyad regime was founded by Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, long-time governor of Syria, afterwards the end of the Beginning Muslim Civil War in 661 CE. Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base of operations thereafter, and Damascus was their capital.

Under the Umayyads, the caliphate territory grew chop-chop. The Islamic Caliphate became one of the largest unitary states in history, and one of the few states to ever extend straight rule over three continents (Africa, Europe, and Asia). The Umayyads incorporated the Caucasus, Transoxiana, Sindh, the Maghreb, and the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) into the Muslim world. At its greatest extent, the Umayyad Caliphate covered 5.79 meg square miles and included 62 million people (29% of the world's population), making it the 5th largest empire in history in both surface area and proportion of the globe'south population. Although the Umayyad Caliphate did non rule all of the Sahara, nomadic Berber tribes paid homage to the caliph. Withal, although these vast areas may have recognized the supremacy of the caliph, de facto ability was in the hands of local sultans and emirs.

Expansion of the caliphate. This map shows the extension of Islamic dominion under Muhammad, the Rashidun Caliphate, and the Umayyad Caliphate.

The Umayyad dynasty was non universally supported within the Muslim community for a variety of reasons, including their hereditary election and suggestions of impious behavior. Some Muslims felt that only members of Muhammad's Banu Hashim association or those of his ain lineage, such as the descendants of Ali, should dominion. Some Muslims thought that Umayyad taxation and administrative practices were unjust. While the not-Muslim population had autonomy, their judicial matters were dealt with in accordance with their own laws and by their own religious heads or their appointees. Non-Muslims paid a poll tax for policing to the central state. Muhammad had stated explicitly during his lifetime that each religious minority should exist immune to practice its own religion and govern itself, and the policy had on the whole continued.

There were numerous rebellions against the Umayyads, as well every bit splits within the Umayyad ranks, which notably included the rivalry between Yaman and Qays. Allegedly, The Sunnis killed Ali'due south son Hussein and his family at the Boxing of Karbala in 680, solidifying the Shi'a-Sunni carve up. Eventually, supporters of the Banu Hashim and the supporters of the lineage of Ali united to bring downwards the Umayyads in 750. However, the Shiʻat ʻAlī, "the Party of Ali," were again disappointed when the Abbasid dynasty took power, as the Abbasids were descended from Muhammad's uncle Abd al-Muttalib, and non from Ali.

The Abbasid victors desecrated the tombs of the Umayyads in Syria, sparing just that of Umar II, and most of the remaining members of the Umayyad family were tracked down and killed. When Abbasids declared amnesty for members of the Umayyad family, fourscore gathered to receive pardons, and all were massacred. One grandson of Hisham, Abd al-Rahman I, survived and established a kingdom in Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia), proclaiming his family to exist the Umayyad Caliphate revived.

Umayyad Dynasty in Cordoba, Kingdom of spain

The revival of the Umayyad Caliphate in Al-Andalus (what would become modernistic Spain) was chosen the Caliphate of Córdoba, which lasted until 1031. The period was characterized by an expansion of trade and civilisation, and saw the structure of masterpieces of al-Andalus architecture.

The caliphate enjoyed increased prosperity during the 10th century. Abd-ar-Rahman Iii united al-Andalus and brought the Christian kingdoms of the northward under control through forcefulness and diplomacy. Abd-ar-Rahman stopped the Fatimid advance into caliphate land in Morocco and al-Andalus. This menstruation of prosperity was marked past increasing diplomatic relations with Berber tribes in north Africa, Christian kings from the north, and France, Federal republic of germany, and Constantinople.

Córdoba was the cultural and intellectual center of al-Andalus. Mosques, such as the Great Mosque, were the focus of many caliphs' attending. The caliph'south palace, Medina Azahara, was on the outskirts of the city, and had many rooms filled with riches from the East. The library of Al-Ḥakam II was one of the largest libraries in the earth, housing at least 400,000 volumes, and Córdoba possessed translations of aboriginal Greek texts into Standard arabic, Latin and Hebrew. During the Umayyad Caliphate catamenia, relations between Jews and Arabs were cordial; Jewish stonemasons helped build the columns of the Great Mosque. Al-Andalus was field of study to eastern cultural influences as well. The musician Ziryab is credited with bringing hair and habiliment styles, toothpaste, and deodorant from Baghdad to the Iberian peninsula. Advances in science, history, geography, philosophy, and language occurred during the Umayyad Caliphate also.

Interior of the Mezquita (Mosque), one of the finest examples of Umayyad compages in Espana.

Legacy of the Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad caliphate was marked both by territorial expansion and by the administrative and cultural bug that such expansion created. Despite some notable exceptions, the Umayyads tended to favor the rights of the former Arab families, and in particular their own, over those of newly converted Muslims (mawali). Therefore, they held to a less universalist conception of Islam than did many of their rivals.

During the menstruum of the Umayyads, Arabic became the administrative linguistic communication, in which state documents and currency were issued. Mass conversions brought a large influx of Muslims to the caliphate. The Umayyads also constructed famous buildings such as the Dome of the Stone at Jerusalem and the Umayyad Mosque at Damascus.

According to 1 common view, the Umayyads transformed the caliphate from a religious establishment (during the Rashidun) to a dynastic i. However, the Umayyad caliphs do seem to have understood themselves as the representatives of God on Earth.

The Umayyads have met with a largely negative reception from later Islamic historians, who have accused them of promoting a kingship (mulk, a term with connotations of tyranny) instead of a truthful caliphate (khilafa). In this respect it is notable that the Umayyad caliphs referred to themselves not as khalifat rasul Allah ("successor of the messenger of God," the title preferred by the tradition), but rather as khalifat Allah ("deputy of God").

Many Muslims criticized the Umayyads for having too many not-Muslim, former Roman administrators in their government. St. John of Damascus was also a loftier administrator in the Umayyad administration. Every bit the Muslims took over cities, they left the people's political representatives and the Roman taxation collectors and administrators. The people'due south political representatives calculated and negotiated taxes. The fundamental government and the local governments got paid respectively for the services they provided. Many Christian cities used some of the taxes to maintain their churches and run their own organizations. Afterwards, the Umayyads were criticized by some Muslims for not reducing the taxes of the people who converted to Islam.

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Source: https://human.libretexts.org/Courses/Lumen_Learning/Book%3A_Early_World_Civilizations_(Lumen)/Ch._07_The_Rise_and_Spread_of_Islam/08.10%3A_Expansion_Under_the_Umayyad_Caliphates

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