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Biographies
Mu`awiya b. Abi Sufyan

The first caliph of the Umayyad dynasty, he ruled for almost ninety years (661-750 CE). He was appointed after the assassination of the caliph Ali, was sworn-in in Jerusalem and was accepted by the majority of the Muslim world.

Mu`awiya dedicated himself to the consolidationof the Islamic power. He organized an Arab military force and a navy, and captured the main Arab governmental centers of his time: Al-Bazra, Al-Kufa and Al-Hijaz. His conquests reached as far as central Asia and North Africa. Mu`awiya did not manage to sustain the Byzantine power, but he won over the Persian empire. Yazid, son of Mu`awiya, inherited the caliphate from his father, but ruled for only three years (680-683 CE). His younger brother, Mu`awiya II succeeded him, but he too died shortly thereafter without leaving a successor. The next caliph was Marwan b. Al-Khakm (684-685 CE).

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