Following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in AD 632, the Islamic community was led by a succession of caliphs (from khalifa, successor). In 661 the caliph Mu’awiya, established his family, the Umayyads, as the first great Muslim dynasty.

The Umayyad capital was at Damascus, where the dynasty embarked on grandiose building projects to assert their power. They also continued to extend the Islamic empire, pushing the Byzantines out of Syria, Palestine and North Africa, and crossing into Spain. Further advance into Europe was only halted by defeat at the Battle of Poitiers, France, in 732.

The conquered regions not only retained local cultural characteristics but also influenced elements of Umayyad culture, such as silver plate (Iran) and coinage (Byzantium). The introduction of new forms of coinage was important as a political tool to celebrate the rule of the Umayyad caliphs and reinforce the uniting Islamic identity of the regions of the empire.

Despite territorial expansion and economic progress, opposition on several fronts and complaints about taxation and corruption erupted into rebellion. Finally, at the Battle of Zab in 750, the Umayyads were defeated by a force led by the Abbasids. The last Umayyad caliph was killed and Abu al-Abbas, the first Abbasid caliph, took control of the Islamic empire.