Caliph · c. 602 to 680

Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan

A companion of the Prophet who governed Syria for twenty years. He founded the Umayyad caliphate, built up its navy and made Damascus the capital. Naming his son Yazid as heir made the caliphate hereditary.

At a glance

Lived: c. 602 to 680
Role: Caliph
Dynasty: Umayyad Caliphs
Era: The Umayyads of Damascus
Chapter: 2. The Umayyads

Battles

657
Battle of Siffin
Ended in arbitration. When Ali's side was gaining, Syrian soldiers raised pages of the Quran on their spears.

Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan's world

750: The Umayyads of Damascus

Muawiya ruled from Damascus and named his son Yazid as heir, the first time the caliphate passed from father to son. Karbala followed in 680. Then came the largest expansion in Islamic history: Spain in 711, Sindh in 712 and Central Asia up to the Syr Darya.

See the 750 map Read chapter 2

People of the same era

Husayn ibn Ali Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz Tariq ibn Ziyad Muhammad bin Qasim Qutayba ibn Muslim

Dates for early figures are often approximate. Spotted a mistake? Tell us