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Why did the Umayyads make Damascus the capital of their caliphate?

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World map showing the global distribution of Islam, with countries shaded in varying tones of green to indicate the estimated percentage of the population practicing Islam. Darkest green represents countries with 95-100 percent Muslim populations, including much of North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Central and South Asia. Lighter greens show lower percentages, while most of Europe, the Americas, Australia, and East Asia are shaded to indicate less than 25 percent Muslim population.
Islamic world

The Umayyad dynasty established Damascus as the capital of their caliphate in 661, primarily because Muʿāwiyah I—the founder of the dynasty—had already been serving as the governor of Syria.1

By basing his court in Damascus, Muʿāwiyah was able to leverage the Syrian army as the foundational pillar of Umayyad military and political strength. This strategic choice allowed the dynasty to centralize authority, maintain better control over the conquered provinces, and manage the complex rivalries between various Arab tribes. Damascus served as the administrative center for a vast, expanding empire for nearly a century until the rise of the Abbasid dynasty in 750.123