Umayyad

noun

Umay·​yad ü-ˈmī-əd How to pronounce Umayyad (audio)
often attributive
: a member of a dynasty of caliphs based in Damascus that ruled from A.D. 661 to 750

Examples of Umayyad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Medina Azahara Built in the mid-10th century by the Umayyad dynasty, Medina Azahara is a magnificent city that was discovered in the early 20th century after having been forgotten for nearly 1,000 years. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2024 This history unfolded primarily under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates but also under the Fatimid and Hafsid ones. Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2023 The institution of the caliphate, now arrogated to themselves by the Umayyads, was thus transformed into arbitrary hereditary rule. Mohammed Ayoob, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2016 For historians, the history of al-Andalus begins in 711, when Umayyad armies commanded by Tariq ibn Ziyad conquered most of Iberia from the Visigothic kings. Robyn Creswell, The New York Review of Books, 7 Oct. 2021 Roman, Umayyad, Mamluk,Ottoman, British, and, among others, its future liberated state, with a robust network of trade and transportation. Curbed, 20 Oct. 2023 The Umayyad Caliphate ruled from the city of Córdoba for a century, turning Spain into a thriving center of art, literature and science, a florescence that continued when the peninsula was split into separate Muslim kingdoms after 1031. Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Aug. 2023 After years of civil war, as well as wars of expansion, the Arab Umayyad dynasty established its rule over the region, from the Middle East to North Africa from A.D. 661 to 750. Edith Szanto, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Umayyad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Arabic (banū) umayya, Meccan kin group to which the Umayyad caliphs belonged

First Known Use

1758, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Umayyad was in 1758

Dictionary Entries Near Umayyad

Cite this Entry

“Umayyad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Umayyad. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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