The document summarizes the rise and fall of the Umayyad Caliphate between 661-750 CE and the transition to the Abbasid Caliphate. It describes how the Umayyads established the first Islamic dynasty in Damascus after the Muslim Civil War, but internal divisions and indulgence in luxury weakened their rule over time. The Abbasids then overthrew the Umayyads in 750 CE with the support of non-Arab Muslims, establishing a new capital in Baghdad and administrative structure influenced by Persian traditions that led to two centuries of stability and prosperity known as the Golden Age of Islam.

1. Introduction to Arab and Islamic Civilization Abir Chaaban LIU The Golden Age of Islam From Damascus to Baghdad