Umayyad caliphate

Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)

  • 661

    Beginning of Umayyad Caliphate

    Mu’awiya begins the Umayyad Caliphate and moves the capital to Damascus.
  • 665

    Muslim Conquest of Maghreb Begins

    Muslim Conquest of the Maghreb, Northwest Africa; Second Invasion
  • 680

    Second Caliph

    Mu’awiya dies and his son Yazid becomes the caliph. Yazid kills Ali’s son, Husayn ibn Ali, when he opposes Yazid’s rule
  • 683

    Siege of Mecca

    Yazid I lays siege to Mecca, but eventually dies causing the siege’s end
  • 684

    Fourth Caliph

    Marwan I becomes the fourth caliph
  • 685

    Fifth Caliph

    Marwan I dies; Abd al-Malik becomes fifth caliph and he makes Arabic the official language
  • 689

    Muslim Conquest of Maghreb Ends

    Muslim Conquest of the Maghreb, Northwest Africa; Second Invasion
  • 711

    Muslim Invasion of Spain

    Muslim invasion of spain, under command of Tariq ibn Ziyad
  • 724

    Tenth Caliph

    Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik became the tenth caliph, inheriting it from his brother Yazid II
  • 743

    Eleventh Caliph

    Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik dies, and Walid II becomes the eleventh caliph
  • 744

    Twelfth Caliph

    Walid II is assassinated, but Yazid III becomes the twelfth caliph
  • 750

    End of Umayyad Caliphate

    Umayyad caliphate meets its end when the Abbasids form a rebellion, kill the royal family, and As-Saffah becomes the first Abbasid Caliph