The First Dynasty of Islam: The Umayyad Caliphate ad 661-750

---

---

The First Dynasty of Islam
 
 
The period 661–750 AD was a crucial one for the history of Islam
and the Middle East. The territories conquered by the Muslims in the
Middle East, north Africa and Spain were ruled from Syria by a
succession of caliphs belonging to the Umayyad family, the first
caliphal dynasty to emerge in the history of Islam. Under their rule
the region began a process of transformation which eventually led to
the emergence of Islam, both as a religion and as a culture, in its
classical form.
The First Dynasty of Islam
 provides a succinct and accessible
introduction to the Umayyad period. An introductory chapter
discusses the importance of the era as a whole, with further chapters
examining
 
•
the Umayyad family and its rise to the Caliphate
•
the Sufyanids
•
the second civil war
•
?bd al-Malik and al-Hajjaj
•
the development of factionalism and the problems of
Islamisation
•
the third civil war and the caliphate of Marwan II
•
the overthrow of the Umayyad caliphate
 
The first edition established itself as a balanced and approachable
text for undergraduates and others interested in the early history of
Islam. This second edition, with an expanded and up-to-date
bibliography, will prove even more useful to its intended readership.