Umayyad was a rich family in the Quraysh tribe. The founder of the Umayyad dynasty was Mu’awiyya, the 1st Khalifa. The Umayyads Carried out many reforms. These helped the Umayyads to strengthen their position. Mu’waiyya, the first Khalifa, moved the capital of the Empire to Damascus.
He accepted the administrative institutions of the Byzantine Empire and the conventions of the royal court. He brought hereditary right to the throne and asked the leading Muslims to accept his son as the next Khalifa. The same paths were followed by his successors.
This helped the Umayyads to rule the Empire for 90 years. After Umayyads came the Abbasids and they were able to continue their rule for 2 centuries because of the reforms they carried out.
