"The Umayyad empire (644-750 CE) was the first Islamic empire and one of the largest empires of ancient and medieval times, extending over 5,000 miles between the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Indian Ocean in the east. The century of Umayyad rule witnessed war with the Eastern Roman Empire, against whom the Umayyads defined their claims to rule as God's deputies on Earth. This was the context in which the Qur?an was compiled, monuments such as the Dome of the Rock were built, and new Islamic and Arab identities developed. This book explores the dynamics that shaped this formative era for the history of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Key features: situates the Umayyad empire in the wider history of Late Antiquity; traces the empire's origins to the Arabian Peninsula and the Syrian Steppe in the centuries before Islam; includes thematic chapters on ecology and the economy, the religions of the Umayyad Middle East and administration and government; draws upon extensive recent archaeological, art historical and textual scholarship"--Back cover of the paperback edition.