A caliphate centered on Damascus
661 CE · Damascus
About this event
The Met dates the beginning of Umayyad rule to 661, with power centered in Syria.
Keep the date’s precision
A political transition, not a claim that every region shared one culture or experience.
Century and half-century bounds are editorial filtering aids. They do not turn a broad source period into an exact date.
Follow the evidence
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗ Original concise summary; consult the institution for its full account.
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