The Umayyad Dynasty was the first
Muslim dynasty. The Umayyad house was one of the
major clans of the Quraysh tribe. Technically, Uthman, the third "Righteous Caliph", was the first Umayyad caliph. During his tenure (644-655), he appointed members of his clan to various posts; in particular, Muawiya b. Abi Sufyan was given the governorship of Syria. Upon the accession of Ali to the caliphate, Muawiya refused to pay him allegience, and in 658 the Syrians acknowledged Muawiya as caliph. That same year he gained control of Egypt; following Ali's death in 661, he subdued Iraq and then formally established himself as caliph. The first
line of Umayyads were the Sufyanids (descendants of
Abu Sufyan) who ruled from 661- 684. Under Muawiya (661-680) the capital of the
Muslim empire was transferred to Damascus. He is credited with raising a highly-trained
army of Syrian soldiers which was used to expand
Muslim authority east into Khorasan and west into North Africa. Muawiya also led excursions into Anatolia beginning in 672 which culminated in an unsuccessful three-year seige of Constantinople (674-677). He retained the administrative structures
left by the Byzantines and Persians but consolidated his authority by appointing kinsmen to
key posts. Before his death, Muawiya secured allegiance to his son, Yazid, thus introducing dynastic succession to
Muslim rule.
