WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Umayyads were the first Muslim dynasty, established in 661 in Damascus. Their dynasty succeeded the leadership of the first four caliphs-Abū Bakr, ʿUmar I, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī. It was established by Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān, a native of Mecca and a contemporary of the Prophet Muḥammad.

Detailed explanation-2: -Abū Sufyān. Abū Sufyān was patriarch of the Umayyads, part of the Quraysh tribe centered at Mecca. After the family’s conversion to Islam in 627, they became administrators of the caliphate under Muhammad and his immediate successors.

Detailed explanation-3: -Criterion (ii): Damascus, as capital of the Umayyad caliphate-the first Islamic caliphate-was of key importance in the development of subsequent Arab cities.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Umayyad Caliphate ruled the Islamic Empire from 661-750 CE. It succeeded the Rashidun Caliphate when Muawiyah I became Caliph after the First Muslim Civil War. Muawiyah I established his capital in the city of Damascus where the Umayyads would rule the Islamic Empire for nearly 100 years.