The Umayyad Caliphate was the second Islamic caliphate established after Muhammad. It divided the empire into provinces governed by appointed leaders. To manage the large empire, it adapted the administrative system of previous empires, establishing government branches to oversee political, economic, and religious affairs. The Umayyad Caliphate also standardized currency and established a postal system to facilitate communication across the empire.

1. UMAYYAD CALIPHATE
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major
Islamic caliphate established after the death of Muhammad.
Umayyad Administration
One of Muawiya's first tasks was to create a stable
administration for the empire. He followed the main ideas of
the Byzantine Empire which had ruled the same region
previously, and had three main governmental branches:
political and military affairs, tax collection, and religious
administration. Each of these was further subdivided into

2. more branches, offices, and departments.
Provinces
Geographically, the empire was divided into several
provinces, the borders of which changed numerous times
during the Umayyad reign. Each province had a governor
appointed by the khalifah. The governor was in charge of the
religious officials, army leaders, police, and civil
administrators in his province. Local expenses were paid for
by taxes coming from that province, with the remainder each
year being sent to the central government in Damascus.
Government workers
As the empire grew, the number of qualified Arab workers
was too small to keep up with the rapid expansion of the
empire. Therefore, Muawiya allowed many of the local
government workers in conquered provinces to keep their
jobs under the new Umayyad government. Thus, much of
the local government's work was recorded in Greek, Coptic,
and Persian. It was only during the reign of ABD AL MALIK
that government work began to be regularly recorded in
Arabic.
Currency
The Byzantine and Sassanid Empires relied on money
economies before the Muslim conquest, and that system
remained in effect during the Umayyad period. Pre-existing
coins remained in use, but with phrases from the Quran
stamped on them. In addition to this, the Umayyad
government began to mint its own coins in Damascus (which
were similar to pre-existing coins), the first coins minted by a
Muslim government in history. Gold coins were called dinars
while silver coins were called dirhams

3. Central diwans
To assist the Caliph in administration there were six Boards
at the Centre: Diwan al-Kharaj (the Board of Revenue),
Diwan al-Rasa'il (the Board of Correspondence), Diwan al-
Khatam (the Board of Signet), Diwan al-Barid (the Board of
Posts), Diwan al-Qudat (the Board of Justice) and Diwan al-
Jund (the Military Board)
Diwan al-Kharaj
The Central Board of Revenue administered the entire
finance of the empire. It also imposed and collected taxes
and disbursed revenue.
Diwan al-Rasa'il
A regular Board of Correspondence was established under
the Umayyads. It issued state missives and circulars to the
Central and Provincial Officers. It co-ordinated the work of all
Boards and dealt with all correspondence as the chief
secretariat.
Diwan al-Khatam
In order to check forgery, Diwan al-Khatam (Bureau of
Registry), a kind of state chancellery, was instituted by
Mu'awiyah. It used to make and preserve a copy of each
official document before sealing and despatching the original
to its destination. Thus in the course of time a state archive

4. developed in Damascus by the Umayyads under Abd al-
Malik. This department survived till the middle of the Abbasid
period.
Diwan al-Barid
Mu'awiyah introduced postal service, Abd al-Malik extended
it throughout his empire, and Walid made full use of it. The
Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik developed a regular postal
service. Umar bin Abdul-Aziz developed it further by building
caravanserais at stages along the Khurasan highway. Relays
of horses were used for the conveyance of dispatches
between the caliph and his agents and officials posted in the
provinces. The main highways were divided into stages of 12
miles (19 km) each and each stage had horses, donkeys or
camels ready to carry the post. Primarily the service met the
needs of Government officials, but travellers and their
important dispatches were also benefitted by the system.
The postal carriages were also used for the swift transport of
troops. They were able to carry fifty to a hundred men at a
time. Under Governor Yusuf bin Umar, the postal department
of Iraq cost 4,000,000 dirhams a year.
Diwan al-Qudat
In the early period of Islam, justice was administered by
Muhammad and the orthodox Caliphs in person. After the
expansion of the Islamic State, Umar al-Faruq had to
separate judiciary from the general administration and
appointed the first qadi in Egypt as early as 23H/643AD.
After 661AD a series of judges succeeded one after another
in Egypt under the Umayyad Caliphs, Hisham and Walid II.
Diwan al-Jund
The Diwan of Umar, assigning annuities to all Arabs and to
the Muslim soldiers of other races, underwent a change in
the hands of the Umayyads. The Umayyads meddled with
the register and the recipients regarded pensions as the

5. subsistence allowance even without being in active service.
Hisham reformed it and paid only to those who participated
in battle. On the pattern of the Byzantine system the
Umayyads reformed their army organization in general and
divided it into five corps: the centre, two wings, vanguards
and rearguards, following the same formation while on
march or on a battle field. Marwan II (740–50) abandoned
the old division and introduced Kurdus (cohort), a small
compact body. The Umayyad troops were divided into three
divisions: infantry, cavalry and artillery. Arab troops were
dressed and armed in Greek fashion. The Umayyad cavalry
used plain and round saddles. The artillery used arradah
(ballista), manjaniq (the mangonel) and

6. subsistence allowance even without being in active service.
Hisham reformed it and paid only to those who participated
in battle. On the pattern of the Byzantine system the
Umayyads reformed their army organization in general and
divided it into five corps: the centre, two wings, vanguards
and rearguards, following the same formation while on
march or on a battle field. Marwan II (740–50) abandoned
the old division and introduced Kurdus (cohort), a small
compact body. The Umayyad troops were divided into three
divisions: infantry, cavalry and artillery. Arab troops were
dressed and armed in Greek fashion. The Umayyad cavalry
used plain and round saddles. The artillery used arradah
(ballista), manjaniq (the mangonel) and