Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty (, al-ʾUmawīyūn, or , Banū ʾUmayyah, "Sons of Umayyah"). The third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (r. 644–656), was a member of the Umayyad clan. The family established dynastic, hereditary rule with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, long-time governor of Syria, who became the sixth Caliph after the end of the First Muslim Civil War in 661. After Mu'awiyah's death in 680, conflicts over the succession resulted in a Second Civil War and power eventually fell into the hands of Marwan I from another branch of the clan. Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base thereafter, and Damascus was their capital.

The Umayyads continued the Muslim conquests, incorporating the Transoxiana, Sindh, the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) into the Muslim world. At its greatest extent, the Umayyad Caliphate covered  and 33 million people, making it one of the largest empires in history in both area and proportion of the world's population.  The dynasty was eventually overthrown by a rebellion led by the Abbasids in 750. Survivors of the dynasty established themselves in Cordoba which, in the form of an Emirate and then a Caliphate, became a world centre of science, medicine, philosophy and invention, ushering in the period of the Golden Age of Islam.

The Umayyad caliphate ruled over a vast multiethnic and multicultural population. Christians, who still constituted a majority of the Caliphate's population, and Jews were allowed to practice their own religion but had to pay a head tax (the jizya) from which Muslims were exempt. There was, however, the Muslim-only zakat tax, which was earmarked explicitly for various welfare programmes. Prominent positions were held by Christians, some of whom belonged to families that had served in Byzantine governments. The employment of Christians was part of a broader policy of religious accommodation that was necessitated by the presence of large Christian populations in the conquered provinces, as in Syria. This policy also boosted Muawiya's popularity and solidified Syria as his power base.

History

Origins

Early influence
During the pre-Islamic period, the Umayyads or "Banu Umayya" were a leading clan of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. By the end of the 6th century, the Umayyads dominated the Quraysh's increasingly prosperous trade networks with Syria and developed economic and military alliances with the nomadic Arab tribes that controlled the northern and central Arabian desert expanses, affording the clan a degree of political power in the region. The Umayyads under the leadership of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb were the principal leaders of Meccan opposition to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but after the latter captured Mecca in 630, Abu Sufyan and the Quraysh embraced Islam. To reconcile his influential Qurayshite tribesmen, Muhammad gave his former opponents, including Abu Sufyan, a stake in the new order. Abu Sufyan and the Umayyads relocated to Medina, Islam's political centre, to maintain their new-found political influence in the nascent Muslim community.

Muhammad's death in 632 left open the succession of leadership of the Muslim community. Leaders of the Ansar, the natives of Medina who had provided Muhammad safe haven after his emigration from Mecca in 622, discussed forwarding their own candidate out of concern that the Muhajirun, Muhammad's early followers and fellow emigrants from Mecca, would ally with their fellow tribesmen from the former Qurayshite elite and take control of the Muslim state. The Muhajirun gave allegiance to one of their own, the early, elderly companion of Muhammad, Abu Bakr, and put an end to Ansarite deliberations. Abu Bakr was viewed as acceptable by the Ansar and the Qurayshite elite and was acknowledged as caliph (leader of the Muslim community). He showed favor to the Umayyads by awarding them command roles in the Muslim conquest of Syria. One of the appointees was Yazid, the son of Abu Sufyan, who owned property and maintained trade networks in Syria.

Abu Bakr's successor Umar () curtailed the influence of the Qurayshite elite in favor of Muhammad's earlier supporters in the administration and military, but nonetheless allowed the growing foothold of Abu Sufyan's sons in Syria, which was all but conquered by 638. When Umar's overall commander of the province Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah died in 639, he appointed Yazid governor of Syria's Damascus, Palestine and Jordan districts. Yazid died shortly after and Umar appointed his brother Mu'awiya in his place. Umar's exceptional treatment of Abu Sufyan's sons may have stemmed from his respect for the family, their burgeoning alliance with the powerful Banu Kalb tribe as a counterbalance to the influential Himyarite settlers in Homs who viewed themselves as equals to the Quraysh in nobility or the lack of a suitable candidate at the time, particularly amid the plague of Amwas which had already killed Abu Ubayda and Yazid. Under Mu'awiya's stewardship, Syria remained domestically peaceful, organized and well-defended from its former Byzantine rulers.

Caliphate of Uthman
Umar's successor, Uthman ibn Affan, was a wealthy Umayyad and early Muslim convert with marital ties to Muhammad. He was elected by the shura council, composed of Muhammad's cousin Ali, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Talha ibn Ubayd Allah, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, all of whom were close, early companions of Muhammad and belonged to the Quraysh. He was chosen over Ali because he would ensure the concentration of state power into the hands of the Quraysh, as opposed to Ali's determination to diffuse power among all of the Muslim factions. From early in his reign, Uthman displayed explicit favouritism to his kinsmen, in stark contrast to his predecessors. He appointed his family members as governors over the regions successively conquered under Umar and himself, namely much of the Sasanian Empire, i.e. Iraq and Iran, and the former Byzantine territories of Syria and Egypt. In Medina, he relied extensively on the counsel of his Umayyad cousins, the brothers al-Harith and Marwan ibn al-Hakam. According to the historian Wilferd Madelung, this policy stemmed from Uthman's "conviction that the house of Umayya, as the core clan of Quraysh, was uniquely qualified to rule in the name of Islam".

Uthman's nepotism provoked the ire of the Ansar and the members of the shura. In 645/46, he added the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) to Mu'awiya's Syrian governorship and granted the latter's request to take possession of all Byzantine crown lands in Syria to help pay his troops. He had the surplus taxes from the wealthy provinces of Kufa and Egypt forwarded to the treasury in Medina, which he used at his personal disposal, frequently disbursing its funds and war booty to his Umayyad relatives. Moreover, the lucrative Sasanian crown lands of Iraq, which Umar had designated as communal property for the benefit of the Arab garrison towns of Kufa and Basra, were turned into caliphal crown lands to be used at Uthman's discretion. Mounting resentment against Uthman's rule in Iraq and Egypt and among the Ansar and Quraysh of Medina culminated in the siege and killing of the caliph in 656. In the assessment of the historian Hugh N. Kennedy, Uthman was killed because of his determination to centralize control over the Caliphate's government by the traditional elite of the Quraysh, particularly his Umayyad clan, which he believed possessed the "experience and ability" to govern, at the expense of the interests, rights and privileges of many early Muslims.

First Fitna
After Uthman's assassination, Ali was recognized as caliph in Medina, though his support stemmed from the Ansar and the Iraqis, while the bulk of the Quraysh were wary of his rule. The first challenge to his authority came from the Qurayshite leaders al-Zubayr and Talha, who had opposed Uthman's empowerment of the Umayyad clan but feared that their own influence and the power of the Quraysh in general would dissipate under Ali. Backed by one of Muhammad's wives, A'isha, they attempted to rally support against Ali among the troops of Basra, prompting the caliph to leave for Iraq's other garrison town, Kufa, where he could better confront his challengers. Ali defeated them at the Battle of the Camel, in which al-Zubayr and Talha were slain and A'isha consequently entered self-imposed seclusion. Ali's sovereignty was thereafter recognized in Basra and Egypt and he established Kufa as the Caliphate's new capital.

Although Ali was able to replace Uthman's governors in Egypt and Iraq with relative ease, Mu'awiya had developed a solid power-base and an effective military against the Byzantines from the Arab tribes of Syria, which he governed since Umar's reign. Mu'awiya did not claim the caliphate, but was determined to retain control of Syria and opposed Ali in the name of avenging his kinsman Uthman, accusing the caliph of culpability in his death. Ali and Mu'awiya fought to a stalemate at the Battle of Siffin in early 657. Ali agreed to settle the matter with Mu'awiya by arbitration, though the talks failed to achieve a resolution. The decision to arbitrate fundamentally weakened Ali's political position as he was forced to negotiate with Mu'awiya on equal terms, while it drove a significant number of his most pious supporters, who became known as the Kharijites, to revolt. Ali's coalition steadily disintegrated and many Iraqi tribal nobles secretly defected to Mu'awiya, while the latter's ally Amr ibn al-As ousted Ali's governor from Egypt in July 658. In July 660 Mu'awiya was formally recognized as caliph in Jerusalem by his Syrian tribal allies. Ali was assassinated by a Kharijite in January 661. His son Hasan succeeded him, but abdicated in return for compensation upon Mu'awiya's arrival to Iraq with his Syrian army in the summer. At that point, Mu'awiya entered Kufa and received the allegiance of the Iraqis.

Sufyanid period

Caliphate of Mu'awiya

The recognition of Mu'awiya in Kufa, referred to as the "year of unification of the community" in the Muslim traditional sources, is generally considered the start of his caliphate. With his accession, the political capital and the caliphal treasury were transferred to Damascus, the seat of Mu'awiya's power. Syria's emergence as the metropolis of the Umayyad Caliphate was the result of Mu'awiya's twenty-year entrenchment in the province, the geographic distribution of its relatively large Arab population throughout the province in contrast to their seclusion in garrison cities in other provinces, and the domination of a single tribal confederation, the Kalb-led Quda'a, as opposed to the wide array of competing tribal groups in Iraq. These long-established, formerly Christian Arab tribes in Syria, having been integrated into the military of the Byzantine Empire and their Ghassanid client kings, were "more accustomed to order and obedience" than their Iraqi counterparts, according to the historian Julius Wellhausen. Mu'awiya relied on the powerful Kalbite chief Ibn Bahdal and the Kindite nobleman Shurahbil ibn Simt alongside the Qurayshite commanders al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri and Abd al-Rahman, the son of the prominent general Khalid ibn al-Walid, to guarantee the loyalty of the key military components of Syria. Mu'awiya preoccupied his core Syrian troops in nearly annual or bi-annual land and sea raids against Byzantium, which provided them with battlefield experience and war spoils, but secured no permanent territorial gains. Toward the end of his reign the caliph entered a thirty-year truce with Byzantine emperor Constantine IV (), obliging the Umayyads to pay the Empire an annual tribute of gold, horses and slaves.

Mu'awiya's principal challenge was reestablishing the unity of the Muslim community and asserting the credibility of the Caliphate and his own power across the provinces amid the political and social disintegration of the First Fitna. There remained significant opposition to his assumption of the caliphate and a strong central government in general. The garrison towns of Kufa and Basra, populated by the Arab immigrants and troops who arrived during the conquest of Iraq in the 630s–640s, resented the transition of power to Syria. They remained divided, nonetheless, as both cities competed for power and influence in Iraq and its eastern dependencies and remained divided between the Arab tribal nobility and the early Muslim converts, the latter of whom were divided between the pro-Alids (loyalists of Ali) and the Kharijites, who followed their own strict interpretation of Islam. The caliph applied a decentralized approach to governing Iraq by forging alliances with its tribal nobility, such as the Kufan leader al-Ash'ath ibn Qays, and entrusting the administration of Kufa and Basra to highly experienced members of the Thaqif tribe, al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba and the latter's protege Ziyad ibn Abihi (whom Mu'awiya adopted as his half-brother), respectively. In return for recognizing his suzerainty, maintaining order and the forwarding of a relatively token portion of the provincial tax revenues to Damascus, the caliph let his governors rule with practical independence. After al-Mughira's death in 670, Mu'awiya attached Kufa and its dependencies to the governorship of Basra, making Ziyad the practical viceroy over the eastern half of the Caliphate. Afterward, Ziyad launched a concerted campaign to firmly establish Arab rule in the massive Khurasan region east of Iran and restart the Muslim conquests in the surrounding areas. Not long after Ziyad's death, he was succeeded by his son Ubayd Allah. Meanwhile, Amr ibn al-As ruled Egypt from the provincial capital of Fustat as a virtual partner of Mu'awiya until his death in 663, after which loyalist governors were appointed and the province became a practical appendage of Syria. Under Mu'awiya's direction, the Muslim conquest of Ifriqiya (central North Africa) was launched by the commander Uqba ibn Nafi in 670, which extended Umayyad control as far as Byzacena (modern southern Tunisia), where Uqba founded the permanent Arab garrison city of Kairouan.

Succession of Yazid I and collapse of Sufyanid rule
In contrast to Uthman, Mu'awiya restricted the influence of his Umayyad kinsmen to the governorship of Medina, where the dispossessed Islamic elite, including the Umayyads, were suspicious or hostile toward his rule. However, in an unprecedented move in Islamic politics, Mu'awiya nominated his own son, Yazid I, as his successor in 676, introducing hereditary rule to caliphal succession and, in practice, turning the office of the caliph into a kingship. The act was met with disapproval or opposition by the Iraqis and the Hejaz-based Quraysh, including the Umayyads, but most were bribed or coerced into acceptance. Yazid acceded after Mu'awiya's death in 680 and almost immediately faced a challenge to his rule by the Kufan partisans of Ali who had invited Ali's son and Muhammad's grandson Husayn to stage a revolt against Umayyad rule from Iraq. An army mobilized by Iraq's governor Ubayd Allah intercepted and killed Husayn outside Kufa at the Battle of Karbala. Although it stymied active opposition to Yazid in Iraq, the killing of Muhammad's grandson left many Muslims outraged and significantly increased Kufan hostility toward the Umayyads and sympathy for the family of Ali.

The next major challenge to Yazid's rule emanated from the Hejaz where Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, the son of al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and grandson of Abu Bakr, advocated for a shura among the Quraysh to elect the caliph and rallied opposition to the Umayyads from his headquarters in Islam's holiest sanctuary, the Ka'aba in Mecca. The Ansar and Quraysh of Medina also took up the anti-Umayyad cause and in 683 expelled the Umayyads from the city. Yazid's Syrian troops routed the Medinese at the Battle of al-Harra and subsequently plundered Medina before besieging Ibn al-Zubayr in Mecca. The Syrians withdrew upon news of Yazid's death in 683, after which Ibn al-Zubayr declared himself caliph and soon after gained recognition in most provinces of the Caliphate, including Iraq and Egypt. In Syria Ibn Bahdal secured the succession of Yazid's son and appointed successor Mu'awiya II, whose authority was likely restricted to Damascus and Syria's southern districts. Mu'awiya II had been ill from the beginning of his accession, with al-Dahhak assuming the practical duties of his office, and he died in early 684 without naming a successor. His death marked the end of the Umayyads' Sufyanid ruling house, called after Mu'awiya I's father Abu Sufyan. The eldest surviving Sufyanid, al-Walid ibn Utba, the son of Mu'awiya I's full brother, died shortly after Mu'awiya II's death, while another paternal uncle of the deceased caliph, Uthman ibn Anbasa ibn Abi Sufyan, who had support from the Kalb of the Jordan district, recognized the caliphate of his maternal uncle Ibn al-Zubayr. Ibn Bahdal favored Mu'awiya II's brothers Khalid and Abd Allah for the succession, but they were viewed as too young and inexperienced by most of the pro-Umayyad tribal nobility in Syria.

Early Marwanid period

Marwanid transition and end of Second Fitna

Umayyad authority nearly collapsed in their Syrian stronghold after the death of Mu'awiya II. Al-Dahhak, who controlled Damascus, the Qays tribes, which dominated the Qinnasrin district (northern Syria) and the Jazira, the Judham, the dominant tribe in Palestine, and the Ansar and South Arabian tribes, which collectively dominated Homs, all opted to recognize Ibn al-Zubayr. Marwan ibn al-Hakam, the leader of the Umayyads expelled to Syria from Medina, was prepared to submit to Ibn al-Zubayr as well, but was instead persuaded to forward his candidacy for the caliphate by Ubayd Allah, who had fled to Syria after being driven out of Iraq and strove to uphold Umayyad rule. During a summit of pro-Umayyad Syrian tribes, namely the Quda'a and their Kindite allies, organized by Ibn Bahdal in the old Ghassanid capital of Jabiya, Marwan was elected caliph in exchange for economic privileges to the loyalist tribesmen. At the subsequent Battle of Marj Rahit in August 684, Marwan led his tribal allies to a decisive victory against a much larger Qaysite army led by al-Dahhak, who was slain. Not long afterward, the South Arabians of Homs and the Judham joined the Quda'a to form the tribal confederation of Yaman. The burgeoning feud between the two tribal coalitions led to the long-running Qays–Yaman conflict as the Qays, who regrouped in the Euphrates river fortress of Circesium under Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi, moved to avenge their losses from Marj Rahit. Although Marwan regained full control of Syria in the months following the battle, the inter-tribal strife undermined the foundation of Umayyad power, the Syrian army.

In 685, Marwan and Ibn Bahdal expelled the Zubayrid governor of Egypt and replaced him with Marwan's son Abd al-Aziz, who would rule the province until his death in 704/05. Another son, Muhammad, was appointed to suppress Zufar's rebellion in the Jazira. Marwan died in April 685 and was succeeded by his eldest son Abd al-Malik. Although Ubayd Allah attempted to restore the Syrian army of the Sufyanid caliphs, persistent divisions along Qays–Yaman lines contributed to the army's massive rout and Ubayd Allah's death at the hands of the pro-Alid forces of Mukhtar al-Thaqafi of Kufa at the Battle of Khazir in August 686. The setback delayed Abd al-Malik's attempts to reestablish Umayyad authority in Iraq, while pressures from the Byzantine Empire and raids into Syria by the Byzantines' Mardaite allies compelled him to sign a peace treaty with Byzantium in 689 which substantially increased the Umayyads' annual tribute to the Empire. During his siege of Circesium in 691, Abd al-Malik reconciled with Zufar and the Qays by offering them privileged positions in the Umayyad court and army, signaling a new policy by the caliph and his successors to balance the interests of the Qays and Yaman in the Umayyad state. With his unified army, Abd al-Malik marched against the Zubayrids of Iraq, having already secretly secured the defection of the province's leading tribal chiefs, and defeated Iraq's ruler, Ibn al-Zubayr's brother Mus'ab, at the Battle of Maskin in 691. Afterward, the Umayyad commander al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf besieged Mecca and killed Ibn al-Zubayr in 692, marking the end of the Second Fitna and the reunification of the Caliphate under Abd al-Malik's rule.

Consolidation and expansion

The second major event of the early reign of Abd al-Malik was the construction of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Although the chronology remains somewhat uncertain, the building seems to have been completed in 692, which means that it was under construction during the conflict with Ibn al-Zubayr. This had led some historians, both medieval and modern, to suggest that the Dome of the Rock was built as a destination for pilgrimage to rival the Kaaba, which was under the control of Ibn al-Zubayr.

Abd al-Malik is credited with centralizing the administration of the Caliphate and with establishing Arabic as its official language. He also introduced a uniquely Muslim coinage, marked by its aniconic decoration, which supplanted the Byzantine and Sasanian coins that had previously been in use. Abd al-Malik also recommenced offensive warfare against Byzantium, defeating the Byzantines at Sebastopolis and recovering control over Armenia and Caucasian Iberia.

Following Abd al-Malik's death, his son, Al-Walid I (705–715), became caliph. Al-Walid was also active as a builder, sponsoring the construction of Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina and the Great Mosque of Damascus.

In the year 712, Muhammad bin Qasim, an Umayyad general, sailed from the Persian Gulf into Sindh and conquered both the Sindh and the Punjab regions along the Indus river. The conquest of Sindh and Punjab, in modern-day Pakistan, although costly, were major gains for the Umayyad Caliphate. However, further gains were halted by the death of Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi, as after his death Muhammad was called back from his conquests. After this, Muslim chroniclers admit that the Caliph Mahdi "gave up the project of conquering any part of India".

A major figure during the reigns of both al-Walid and Abd al-Malik was the Umayyad governor of Iraq, Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef. Many Iraqis remained resistant to Umayyad rule, and to maintain order al-Hajjaj imported Syrian troops, which he housed in a new garrison town, Wasit. These troops became crucial in the suppression of a revolt led by an Iraqi general, Ibn al-Ash'ath, in the early eighth century.

Al-Walid was succeeded by his brother, Sulayman (715–717), whose reign was dominated by a protracted siege of Constantinople. The failure of the siege marked the end of serious Arab ambitions against the Byzantine capital. However, the first two decades of the eighth century witnessed the continuing expansion of the Caliphate, which pushed into the Iberian Peninsula in the west, and into Transoxiana in the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana (under Qutayba ibn Muslim) and northern India in the east.

Arab sources claim Qutayba ibn Muslim briefly took Kashgar from China and withdrew after an agreement but modern historians entirely dismiss this claim.

In AD 715, the Umayyad Caliphate deposed the ikhshid of the Principality of Farghana, and installed a new king Alutar on the throne. The deposed king fled to Kucha (seat of Anxi Protectorate), and sought Chinese intervention. The Tang dynasty sent 10,000 troops under Zhang Xiaosong to Ferghana. He defeated Alutar and the Arab occupation force at Namangan and reinstalled the ikhshid on the throne.

The Chinese defeated the Umayyad invaders at the Battle of Aksu (717), forcing the Umayyad commander, Al-Yashkuri, and his army to flee to Tashkent.

Caliphate of Umar II
Sulayman was succeeded by his cousin, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (717–720), whose position among the Umayyad caliphs is somewhat unusual. He is the only Umayyad ruler to have been recognized by subsequent Islamic tradition as a genuine caliph (khalifa) and not merely as a worldly king (malik).

Umar is honoured for his attempt to resolve the fiscal problems attendant upon conversion to Islam. During the Umayyad period, the majority of people living within the caliphate were not Muslim, but Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, or members of other small groups. These religious communities were not forced to convert to Islam, but were subject to a tax (jizyah) which was not imposed upon Muslims. This situation may actually have made widespread conversion to Islam undesirable from the point of view of state revenue, and there are reports that provincial governors actively discouraged such conversions. It is not clear how Umar attempted to resolve this situation, but the sources portray him as having insisted on like treatment of Arab and non-Arab (mawali) Muslims, and on the removal of obstacles to the conversion of non-Arabs to Islam.

Later Marwanid period
After the death of Umar, another son of Abd al-Malik, Yazid II (720–724) became caliph. Yazid is best known for his "iconoclastic edict", which ordered the destruction of Christian images within the territory of the Caliphate. In 720, another major revolt arose in Iraq, this time led by Yazid ibn al-Muhallab.

Caliphate of Hisham and end of expansion

The final son of Abd al-Malik to become caliph was Hisham (724–43), whose long and eventful reign was above all marked by the curtailment of military expansion. Hisham established his court at Resafa in northern Syria, which was closer to the Byzantine border than Damascus, and resumed hostilities against the Byzantines, which had lapsed following the failure of the last siege of Constantinople. The new campaigns resulted in a number of successful raids into Anatolia, but also in a major defeat (the Battle of Akroinon), and did not lead to any significant territorial expansion.

From the caliphate's north-western African bases, a series of raids on coastal areas of the Visigothic Kingdom paved the way to the permanent occupation of most of Iberia by the Umayyads (starting in 711), and on into south-eastern Gaul (last stronghold at Narbonne in 759). Hisham's reign witnessed the end of expansion in the west, following the defeat of the Arab army by the Franks at the Battle of Tours in 732. In 739 a major Berber Revolt broke out in North Africa, which was probably the largest military setback in the reign of Caliph Hisham. From it, emerged some of the first Muslim states outside the Caliphate. It is also regarded as the beginning of Moroccan independence, as Morocco would never again come under the rule of an eastern Caliph or any other foreign power until the 20th century. It was followed by the collapse of Umayyad authority in al-Andalus. In India the Arab armies were defeated by the south Indian Chalukya dynasty and by the north Indian Pratiharas Dynasty in the 8th century and the Arabs were driven out of India.

In the Caucasus, the confrontation with the Khazars peaked under Hisham: the Arabs established Derbent as a major military base and launched several invasions of the northern Caucasus, but failed to subdue the nomadic Khazars. The conflict was arduous and bloody, and the Arab army even suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Marj Ardabil in 730. Marwan ibn Muhammad, the future Marwan II, finally ended the war in 737 with a massive invasion that is reported to have reached as far as the Volga, but the Khazars remained unsubdued.

Hisham suffered still worse defeats in the east, where his armies attempted to subdue both Tokharistan, with its center at Balkh, and Transoxiana, with its center at Samarkand. Both areas had already been partially conquered, but remained difficult to govern. Once again, a particular difficulty concerned the question of the conversion of non-Arabs, especially the Sogdians of Transoxiana. Following the Umayyad defeat in the "Day of Thirst" in 724, Ashras ibn 'Abd Allah al-Sulami, governor of Khurasan, promised tax relief to those Sogdians who converted to Islam, but went back on his offer when it proved too popular and threatened to reduce tax revenues.

Discontent among the Khurasani Arabs rose sharply after the losses suffered in the Battle of the Defile in 731. In 734, al-Harith ibn Surayj led a revolt that received broad backing from Arabs and natives alike, capturing Balkh but failing to take Merv. After this defeat, al-Harith's movement seems to have been dissolved. The problem of the rights of non-Arab Muslims would continue to plague the Umayyads.

Third Fitna

Hisham was succeeded by Al-Walid II (743–44), the son of Yazid II. Al-Walid is reported to have been more interested in earthly pleasures than in religion, a reputation that may be confirmed by the decoration of the so-called "desert palaces" (including Qusayr Amra and Khirbat al-Mafjar) that have been attributed to him. He quickly attracted the enmity of many, both by executing a number of those who had opposed his accession, and by persecuting the Qadariyya.

In 744, Yazid III, a son of al-Walid I, was proclaimed caliph in Damascus, and his army tracked down and killed al-Walid II. Yazid III has received a certain reputation for piety, and may have been sympathetic to the Qadariyya. He died a mere six months into his reign.

Yazid had appointed his brother, Ibrahim, as his successor, but Marwan II (744–50), the grandson of Marwan I, led an army from the northern frontier and entered Damascus in December 744, where he was proclaimed caliph. Marwan immediately moved the capital north to Harran, in present-day Turkey. A rebellion soon broke out in Syria, perhaps due to resentment over the relocation of the capital, and in 746 Marwan razed the walls of Homs and Damascus in retaliation.

Marwan also faced significant opposition from Kharijites in Iraq and Iran, who put forth first Dahhak ibn Qays and then Abu Dulaf as rival caliphs. In 747, Marwan managed to re-establish control of Iraq, but by this time a more serious threat had arisen in Khorasan.

Abbasid Revolution and fall

The Hashimiyya movement (a sub-sect of the Kaysanites Shia), led by the Abbasid family, overthrew the Umayyad caliphate. The Abbasids were members of the Hashim clan, rivals of the Umayyads, but the word "Hashimiyya" seems to refer specifically to Abu Hashim, a grandson of Ali and son of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya. According to certain traditions, Abu Hashim died in 717 in Humeima in the house of Muhammad ibn Ali, the head of the Abbasid family, and before dying named Muhammad ibn Ali as his successor. This tradition allowed the Abbasids to rally the supporters of the failed revolt of Mukhtar, who had represented themselves as the supporters of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya.

Beginning around 719, Hashimiyya missions began to seek adherents in Khurasan. Their campaign was framed as one of proselytism (dawah). They sought support for a "member of the family" of Muhammad, without making explicit mention of the Abbasids. These missions met with success both among Arabs and non-Arabs (mawali), although the latter may have played a particularly important role in the growth of the movement.

Around 746, Abu Muslim assumed leadership of the Hashimiyya in Khurasan. In 747, he successfully initiated an open revolt against Umayyad rule, which was carried out under the sign of the black flag. He soon established control of Khurasan, expelling its Umayyad governor, Nasr ibn Sayyar, and dispatched an army westwards. Kufa fell to the Hashimiyya in 749, the last Umayyad stronghold in Iraq, Wasit, was placed under siege, and in November of the same year Abul Abbas as-Saffah was recognized as the new caliph in the mosque at Kufa. At this point Marwan mobilized his troops from Harran and advanced toward Iraq. In January 750 the two forces met in the Battle of the Zab, and the Umayyads were defeated. Damascus fell to the Abbasids in April, and in August, Marwan was killed in Egypt.

The victors desecrated the tombs of the Umayyads in Syria, sparing only that of Umar II, and most of the remaining members of the Umayyad family were tracked down and killed. When Abbasids declared amnesty for members of the Umayyad family, eighty gathered to receive pardons, and all were massacred. One grandson of Hisham, Abd al-Rahman I, survived, escaped across North Africa, and established an emirate in Moorish Iberia (Al-Andalus). In a claim unrecognized outside of al-Andalus, he maintained that the Umayyad Caliphate, the true, authentic caliphate, more legitimate than the Abbasids, was continued through him in Córdoba. It was to survive for centuries.

Previté-Orton argues that the reason for the decline of the Umayyads was the rapid expansion of Islam. During the Umayyad period, mass conversions brought Persians, Berbers, Copts, and Aramaics to Islam. These mawalis (clients) were often better educated and more civilised than their Arab overlords. The new converts, on the basis of equality of all Muslims, transformed the political landscape. Previté-Orton also argues that the feud between Syria and Iraq further weakened the empire.

Umayyad administration
The first four caliphs created a stable administration for the empire, following the practices and administrative institutions of the Byzantine Empire which had ruled the same region previously. These consisted of four main governmental branches: political affairs, military affairs, tax collection, and religious administration. Each of these was further subdivided into more branches, offices, and departments.

Provinces
Geographically, the empire was divided into several provinces, the borders of which changed numerous times during the Umayyad reign. Each province had a governor appointed by the caliph. The governor was in charge of the religious officials, army leaders, police, and civil administrators in his province. Local expenses were paid for by taxes coming from that province, with the remainder each year being sent to the central government in Damascus. As the central power of the Umayyad rulers waned in the later years of the dynasty, some governors neglected to send the extra tax revenue to Damascus and created great personal fortunes.

Government workers
As the empire grew, the number of qualified Arab workers was too small to keep up with the rapid expansion of the empire. Therefore, Muawiya allowed many of the local government workers in conquered provinces to keep their jobs under the new Umayyad government. Thus, much of the local government's work was recorded in Greek, Coptic, and Persian. It was only during the reign of Abd al-Malik that government work began to be regularly recorded in Arabic.

Currency

The Byzantine and Sassanid Empires relied on money economies before the Muslim conquest, and that system remained in effect during the Umayyad period. Byzantine copper coins were used until 658, while Byzantine gold coins were still in use until the monetary reforms c.700. In addition to this, the Umayyad government began to mint its own coins in Damascus, which were initially similar to pre-existing coins but evolved in an independent direction. These were the first coins minted by a Muslim government in history. Gold coins were called dinars while silver coins were called dirhams.

Central diwans
To assist the Caliph in administration there were six Boards at the Centre: Diwan al-Kharaj (the Board of Revenue), Diwan al-Rasa'il (the Board of Correspondence), Diwan al-Khatam (the Board of Signet), Diwan al-Barid (the Board of Posts), Diwan al-Qudat (the Board of Justice) and Diwan al-Jund (the Military Board)

Diwan al-Kharaj
The Central Board of Revenue administered the entire finances of the empire. It also imposed and collected taxes and disbursed revenue.

Diwan al-Rasa'il
A regular Board of Correspondence was established under the Umayyads. It issued state missives and circulars to the Central and Provincial Officers. It co-ordinated the work of all Boards and dealt with all correspondence as the chief secretariat.

Diwan al-Khatam
In order to reduce forgery, Diwan al-Khatam (Bureau of Registry), a kind of state chancellery, was instituted by Mu'awiyah. It used to make and preserve a copy of each official document before sealing and despatching the original to its destination. Thus in the course of time a state archive developed in Damascus by the Umayyads under Abd al-Malik. This department survived till the middle of the Abbasid period.

Diwan al-Barid

Mu'awiyah introduced postal service, Abd al-Malik extended it throughout his empire, and Walid made full use of it. Umar bin Abdul-Aziz developed it further by building caravanserais at stages along the Khurasan highway. Relays of horses were used for the conveyance of dispatches between the caliph and his agents and officials posted in the provinces. The main highways were divided into stages of  each and each stage had horses, donkeys or camels ready to carry the post. Primarily the service met the needs of Government officials, but travellers and their important dispatches were also benefited by the system. The postal carriages were also used for the swift transport of troops. They were able to carry fifty to a hundred men at a time. Under Governor Yusuf bin Umar, the postal department of Iraq cost 4,000,000 dirhams a year.

Diwan al-Qudat

In the early period of Islam, justice was administered by Muhammad and the orthodox Caliphs in person. After the expansion of the Islamic State, Umar al-Faruq had to separate judiciary from the general administration and appointed the first qadi in Egypt as early as AD 643/23 AH. After 661, a series of judges served in Egypt during the caliphates of Hisham and Walid II.

Diwan al-Jund
The Diwan of Umar, assigning annuities to all Arabs and to the Muslim soldiers of other races, underwent a change in the hands of the Umayyads. The Umayyads meddled with the register and the recipients regarded pensions as the subsistence allowance even without being in active service. Hisham reformed it and paid only to those who participated in battle.
On the pattern of the Byzantine system the Umayyads reformed their army organization in general and divided it into five corps: the centre, two wings, vanguards and rearguards, following the same formation while on march or on a battle field. Marwan II (740–50) abandoned the old division and introduced the Kurdus (cohort), a small compact body.
The Umayyad troops were divided into three divisions: infantry, cavalry and artillery. Arab troops were dressed and armed in Greek fashion. The Umayyad cavalry used plain and round saddles. The artillery used the arradah (ballista), the manjaniq (mangonel) and the dabbabah or kabsh (battering ram). The heavy engines, siege machines and baggage were carried on camels behind the army.

Social organization

The Umayyad Caliphate had four main social classes:
 Muslim Arabs
 Muslim non-Arabs (clients of the Muslim Arabs)
 Dhimmis, non-Muslim free persons (Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and others)
 Slaves

The Muslim Arabs were at the top of the society and saw it as their duty to rule over the conquered areas. Despite the fact that Islam teaches the equality of all Muslims, the Arab Muslims held themselves in higher esteem than Muslim non-Arabs and generally did not mix with other Muslims.

As Islam spread, more and more of the Muslim population consisted of non-Arabs. This caused social unrest, as the new converts were not given the same rights as Muslim Arabs. Also, as conversions increased, tax revenues from non-Muslims decreased to dangerous lows. These issues continued to worsen until they helped cause the Abbasid Revolt in the 740s.

Non-Muslims
Non-Muslim groups in the Umayyad Caliphate, which included Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and pagans, were called dhimmis. They were given a legally protected status as second-class citizens as long as they accepted and acknowledged the political supremacy of the ruling Muslims, i.e. paid a tax, known as jizya, which the Muslims did not have to pay, who would instead pay the zakat tax. If they converted to Islam they would cease paying jizya and would instead pay zakat.

Christians and Jews still continued to produce great theological thinkers within their communities, but as time wore on, many of the intellectuals converted to Islam, leading to a lack of great thinkers in the non-Muslim communities. Important Christian writers from the Umayyad period include the theologian John of Damascus and bishop Cosmas of Maiuma.

Although non-Muslims could not hold the highest public offices in the empire, they held many bureaucratic positions within the government. An important example of Christian employment in the Umayyad government is that of Sarjun ibn Mansur. He was a Melkite Christian official of the early Umayyad Caliphate. The son of a prominent Byzantine official of Damascus, he was a favourite of the early Umayyad caliphs Mu'awiya I and Yazid I, and served as the head of the fiscal administration for Syria from the mid-7th century until the year 700, when Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan dismissed him as part of his efforts to Arabicize the administration of the Caliphate. According to the Muslim historians al-Baladhuri and al-Tabari, Sanjur was a mawla of the first Umayyad caliph, Mu'awiya I (), serving as his "secretary and the person in charge of his business". The hagiographies, although less reliable, also assign to him a role in the administration, even as "ruler" (archon or even amir), of Damascus and its environs, where he was responsible for collecting the revenue. In this capacity, he is attested in later collections of source material such as that of al-Mas'udi. Sarjun ibn Mansur was replaced by Sulayman ibn Sa'd al-Khushani, another Christian.

Muawiya's marriage to Maysun bint Bahdal (Yazid's mother) was politically motivated, as she was the daughter of the chief of the Kalb tribe, which was a large Syriac Orthodox Christian Arab tribe in Syria. The Kalb tribe had remained largely neutral when the Muslims first went into Syria. After the plague that killed much of the Muslim army in Syria, by marrying Maysun, Muawiyah used the Syriac Orthodox Christians against the Byzantines.

Tom Holland writes  Christians, Jews, Samaritans and Manichaeans were all treated well by Muawiyah. Muawiyah even restored Edessa's cathedral after it had been toppled by an earthquake. Savagely though Muawiyah prosecuted his wars against the Romans, yet his subjects, no longer trampled by rival armies, no longer divided by hostile watchtowers, knew only peace at last. Justice flourished in his time, and there was great peace in the regions under his control. He allowed everyone to live as they wanted."

Legacy

Muawiyah I's family, including his progenitors, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and his wife Hind bint Utbah, were originally opponents of Islam and particularly of Muhammad until the Conquest of Mecca, but they converted to the religion in 630.

However, many early history books, e.g., The Islamic Conquest of Syria Fatuhusham, by al-Imam al-Waqidi, state that, after their conversion to Islam, Muhammad appointed Muawiyah I's father Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and his brother Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan as army commanders. Muawiyah I, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan and Hind bint Utbah fought in the Battle of Yarmouk. The defeat of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius at the Battle of Yarmouk opened the way for Muslim expansion into Jerusalem and Syria.

In 639, Muawiyah was appointed as the governor of Syria by the second caliph, Umar, after the two previous governors—his brother Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan and, before him, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah—died in a plague along with 25,000 other people. 'Amr ibn al-'As was sent to take on the Roman Army in Egypt. Umar asked Muawiyah to defend against an anticipated Roman attack.

Muawiyah next set about creating allies. Muawiyah married Maysum, the daughter of the chief of the Kalb tribe, a large Jacobite Christian Arab tribe in Syria. His marriage to Maysum was politically motivated. The Kalb tribe had remained largely neutral when the Muslims first went into Syria. Muawiyah now could use the Jacobite Christians to restore the ranks of the plague-depleted army against the Romans. Muawiya's wife Maysum (Yazid's mother) was also a Jacobite Christian. With limited resources and the Byzantines just over the border, Muawiyah worked in cooperation with the local Christian population. To stop Byzantine harassment from the sea during the Arab-Byzantine Wars, in 649 Muawiyah set up a navy, which was manned by Monophysite Christians, Copts, and Jacobite Syrian Christian sailors and Muslim troops.

Muawiya was one of the first to realize the full importance of having a navy; as long as the Byzantine fleet could sail the Mediterranean unopposed, the coastlines of Syria, Palestine and Egypt would never be safe. Muawiyah, along with Adbullah ibn Sa'd, the new governor of Egypt, successfully persuaded Uthman to give them permission to construct a large fleet in the dockyards of Egypt and Syria.

The first real naval engagement between the Muslim and the Byzantine navy was the so-called Battle of the Masts (Dhat al-sawari), or Battle of Phoenix, off the Lycian coast in 655, where the resulting Muslim victory opened up the Mediterranean.

Muawiyah I came to power after the death of Ali and established a dynasty.

Historical significance

The Umayyad caliphate was marked both by territorial expansion and by the administrative and cultural problems that such expansion created. Despite some notable exceptions, the Umayyads tended to favor the rights of the old Arab families, and in particular their own, over those of newly converted Muslims (mawali). Therefore, they held to a less universalist conception of Islam than did many of their rivals. As G.R. Hawting has written, "Islam was in fact regarded as the property of the conquering aristocracy."

During the period of the Umayyads, Arabic became the administrative language. State documents and currency were issued in the language. Mass conversions brought a large influx of Muslims to the caliphate. The Umayyads also constructed famous buildings such as the Dome of the Rock at Jerusalem, and the Umayyad Mosque at Damascus.

According to one common view, the Umayyads transformed the caliphate from a religious institution (during the rashidun) to a dynastic one. However, the Umayyad caliphs do seem to have understood themselves as the representatives of God on earth, and to have been responsible for the "definition and elaboration of God's ordinances, or in other words the definition or elaboration of Islamic law."

The Umayyads have met with a largely negative reception from later Islamic historians, who have accused them of promoting a kingship (mulk, a term with connotations of tyranny) instead of a true caliphate (khilafa). In this respect it is notable that the Umayyad caliphs referred to themselves not as khalifat rasul Allah ("successor of the messenger of God", the title preferred by the tradition), but rather as khalifat Allah ("deputy of God"). The distinction seems to indicate that the Umayyads "regarded themselves as God's representatives at the head of the community and saw no need to share their religious power with, or delegate it to, the emergent class of religious scholars." In fact, it was precisely this class of scholars, based largely in Iraq, that was responsible for collecting and recording the traditions that form the primary source material for the history of the Umayyad period. In reconstructing this history, therefore, it is necessary to rely mainly on sources, such as the histories of Tabari and Baladhuri, that were written in the Abbasid court at Baghdad.

Modern Arab nationalism regards the period of the Umayyads as part of the Arab Golden Age which it sought to emulate and restore.
This is particularly true of Syrian nationalists and the present-day state of Syria, centred like that of the Umayyads on Damascus.

The Umayyad dynastic colour was white, after the banner of Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan; it is now one of the four Pan-Arab colours which appear in various combinations on the flags of most Arab countries.

Theological opinions concerning the Umayyads

Sunni opinions
Many Muslims criticized the Umayyads for having too many non-Muslim, former Roman administrators in their government, e.g., St. John of Damascus. As the Muslims took over cities, they left the people's political representatives, the Roman tax collectors, and the administrators in office. The taxes to the central government were calculated and negotiated by the people's political representatives. Both the central and local governments were compensated for the services each provided. Many Christian cities used some of the taxes to maintain their churches and run their own organizations. Later, the Umayyads were criticized by some Muslims for not reducing the taxes of the people who converted to Islam.

Later, when Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz came to power, he reduced these taxes. He is therefore praised as one of the greatest Muslim rulers after the four Rightly Guided Caliphs. Imam Abu Muhammad Adbullah ibn Abdul Hakam who lived in 829 and wrote a biography on Umar Ibn Adbul Aziz stated that the reduction in these taxes stimulated the economy and created wealth but it also reduced the government's budget, including, eventually, the defence budget.

The only Umayyad ruler, who is unanimously praised by Sunni sources for his devout piety and justice is Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. In his efforts to spread Islam, he established liberties for the Mawali by abolishing the jizya tax for converts to Islam. Imam Abu Muhammad Adbullah ibn Abdul Hakam stated that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz also stopped the personal allowance offered to his relatives, stating that he could only give them an allowance if he gave an allowance to everyone else in the empire. After Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz was poisoned in 720, successive governments tried to reverse Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz's tax policies, but rebellion resulted.

Shi'a opinions
The negative view of the Umayyads held by Shias is briefly expressed in the Shi'a book "Sulh al-Hasan". According to Shia hadiths, which are not considered authentic by Sunnis, Ali described them as the worst Fitna. In Shia sources, the Umayyad Caliphate is widely described as "tyrannical, anti-Islamic and godless". Shias point out that the founder of the dynasty, Muawiyah, declared himself a caliph in 657 and went to war against Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin, the ruling caliph Ali, clashing at the Battle of Siffin. Muawiyah also declared his son, Yazid, as his successor in breach of a treaty with Hassan, Muhammad's grandson. Another of Muhammad's grandsons, Husayn ibn Ali, would be killed by Yazid in the Battle of Karbala. Further Shia Imams, such as Muhammad's great-grandson, Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin would be killed at the hands of ruling Umayyad caliphs.

Bahá'í opinions
Asked for an explanation of the prophecies in the Book of Revelation (12:3), `Abdu'l-Bahá suggests in Some Answered Questions that the "great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads," refers to the Umayyad caliphs who "rose against the religion of Prophet Muhammad and against the reality of Ali".

The seven heads of the dragon are symbolic of the seven provinces of the lands dominated by the Umayyads: Damascus, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, Africa, Andalusia, and Transoxiana. The ten horns represent the ten names of the leaders of the Umayyad dynasty: Abu Sufyan, Muawiya, Yazid, Marwan, Abd al-Malik, Walid, Sulayman, Umar, Hisham, and Ibrahim. Some names were re-used, as in the case of Yazid II and Yazid III, which were not accounted for in this interpretation.

Early literature
The book Al Muwatta, by Imam Malik, was written in the early Abbasid period in Medina. It does not contain any anti-Umayyad content because it was more concerned with what the Quran and what Muhammad said and was not a history book on the Umayyads.

Even the earliest pro-Shia accounts of al-Masudi are more balanced. Al-Masudi's Ibn Hisham is the earliest Shia account of Muawiyah.  He recounted that Muawiyah spent a great deal of time in prayer, in spite of the burden of managing a large empire.

Az-Zuhri stated that Muawiya led the Hajj Pilgrimage with the people twice during his era as caliph.

Books written in the early Abbasid period like al-Baladhuri's "The Origins of the Islamic State" provide a more accurate and balanced history. Ibn Hisham also wrote about these events.

Much of the anti-Umayyad literature started to appear in the later Abbasid period in Persia.

After killing off most of the Umayyads and destroying the graves of the Umayyad rulers apart from Muawiyah and Umar ibn Adb al-Aziz, the history books written during the later Abbasid period are more anti-Umayyad. The Abbasids justified their rule by saying that their ancestor Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib was a cousin of Muhammad.

The books written later in the Abbasid period in Iran are more anti-Umayyad. Iran was Sunni at the time. There was much anti-Arab feeling in Iran after the fall of the Persian empire. This anti-Arab feeling also influenced the books on Islamic history. Al-Tabri was also written in Iran during that period. Al-Tabri was a huge collection, preserving everything the compiler could find for future generations to codify and to judge whether the histories were true or false.

List of Caliphs


Alliance A-1 Argo

The Alliance A-1 Argo was an American-built two-seat biplane of the late 1920s.

Development

The Alliance Aircraft Corp of Alliance, Ohio was formed in 1928 by a reorganisation of the Hess Aircraft Co. The firm designed the A-1 Argo as a sturdy two-seat open-cockpit biplane for operation by private pilot owners. The Warrior seven-cylinder engine was  designed and produced in the same factory at Alliance.

Operational history

Because of the difficult economic climate then existing, only 20 A-1 Argos were completed. Alliance Aircraft then went into bankruptcy in 1930, being reformed briefly as the Warrior Aeronautical Corporation before that organization also foundered later the same year.

Several Argo biplanes continued in operation by private owners until curtailment of civil flying in the USA in 1941. Two aircraft survived in mid-2009 of which NC2M is maintained in airworthy condition by Greg Herrick's Golden Wings Air Museum at Anoka County-Blaine Airport near Minneapolis,  Minnesota, and can be visited by prior arrangement.

The Ohio History Connection displays a static A-1 Argo on the plaza level of the Ohio History Center. This particular aircraft was constructed in August 1929 by the Alliance Aircraft Corporation of Alliance, Ohio.

An Alliance Argo, N2M, is listed on the FAA Registry as serial number 108 built in 1929. This aircraft is owned by the Yellowstone Aviation Inc. in Jackson, Wyoming under a corporation listing.

Specifications


Oligacanthorhynchidae

Oligacanthorhynchida is an order containing a single family, Oligacanthorhynchidae, of parasitic worms that attach themselves to the intestinal wall of terrestrial vertebrates.

Taxonomy and description

Species
Oligacanthorhynchida contains twelve genera and numerous species.

Cucullanorhynchus

The genus Cucullanorhynchus Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008 is named for the anterior hood. It was described in 2008 based on samples collected from the intestines of mammals between 1998 and 2004 in Vietnam.

Cucullanorhynchus constrictruncatus Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008
C. constrictruncatus is the only species in the genus Cucullanorhynchus. It has been found in the intestine of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Vietnam. The trunk has an anterior hood in both sexes and a posterior constriction in females. The species name derives from this constriction near the posterior end of females.

Heptamegacanthus

The genus Heptamegacanthus Spencer-Jones, 1990 contains 1 species.

Heptamegacanthus niekerki Spencer-Jones, 1990

H. niekerki is a parasite of the giant golden mole (Chrysospalax trevelyani) found in South-East Africa.

Macracanthorhynchus

The genus Macracanthorhynchus Travassos, 1917 contains many species.

Macracanthorhynchus catulinus Kostylev, 1927
Macracanthorhynchus erinacei Dollfus, 1953
Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (Pallas, 1781)
M. hirudinaceus is a parasite which lives in the intestines of pigs and other suids, and very occasionally in humans or dogs. It causes enteritis, gastritis or peritonitis. Its life cycle includes beetles of the genus Melolontha as intermediate hosts. This species has many synonyms which include: Echinorhynchus gigas (Block, 1782), Macracanthorhynchus gigas (Block, 1782), Echinorhynchus hirundinacea (Palas, 1781), Gigantorhynchus hirundinaceus (Pallas, 1781), Gigantorhynchus gigas (Block, 1782), Hormorhynchus gigas (Block, 1782), Taenia haeruca (Pallas, 1776), and Taenia hirundinaceus (Pallas, 1781) The complete mitochondrial genome of M. hirudinaceus has been sequenced. The eggs have 4 membranes are 98 um long and have an elongation ratio of 1.85.

Macracanthorhynchus ingens (Linstow, 1879)

The eggs have 3 membranes are 94 um long and have an elongation ratio of 1.66.

Multisentis

The genus Multisentis Smales, 1997 contains 1 species.

 Multisentis myrmecobius Smales, 1997

Neoncicola

The genus Neoncicola Schmidt, 1972 contains several species.

Neoncicola artibei Smales, 2007
Neoncicola avicola (Travossos, 1917)
Neoncicola bursata (Meyer, 1931)
Neoncicola curvata (Linstow, 1897)
Neoncicola novellae (Parona, 1890)
Neoncicola pintoi (Machado, 1950)
Neoncicola potosi (Machado, 1950)
Neoncicola sinensis Schmidt and Dunn, 1974
Neoncicola skrjabini (Morosow, 1951)

Nephridiorhynchus

The genus Nephridiorhynchus  Meyer, 1931 contains several species.

Nephridiacanthus gerberi  Baer, 1959
Nephridiacanthus kamerunensis  Meyer, 1931
Nephridiacanthus longissimus  Golvan, 1962
Nephridiorhynchus major (Bremser, 1811)
Nephridiacanthus manisensis  Meyer, 1931
Nephridiacanthus maroccanus  Dollfus, 1951
Nephridiorhynchus palawanensis (Tubangui and Masiluñgan, 1938)
Nephridiorhynchus thapari (Sen and Chauhan, 1972)

Oligacanthorhynchus

The genus Oligacanthorhynchus Travassos, 1915 contains numerous species.

Oligacanthorhynchus aenigma (Reichensperger, 1922)
Oligacanthorhynchus atratus (Meyer, 1931)
Oligacanthorhynchus bangalorensis (Pujatti, 1951)
Oligacanthorhynchus carinii (Travassos, 1917)
Oligacanthorhynchus cati (Gupta and Lata, 1967)
Oligacanthorhynchus circumplexus (Molin, 1858)
Oligacanthorhynchus citilli (Rudolphi, 1806)
Oligacanthorhynchus compressus (Rudolphi, 1802)
Oligacanthorhynchus decrescens (Meyer, 1931)
Oligacanthorhynchus erinacei (Rudolphi, 1793)
Oligacanthorhynchus hamatus (von Linstow, 1897)
Oligacanthorhynchus iheringi Travassos, 1917
Oligacanthorhynchus indicus Rengaraju and Das, 1981
Oligacanthorhynchus kamerunensis (Meyer, 1931)
Oligacanthorhynchus kamtschaticus Hokhlova, 1966
Oligacanthorhynchus lagenaeformis (Westrumb, 1821)
Oligacanthorhynchus lamasi (Freitas and Costa, 1964)
Oligacanthorhynchus lerouxi (Bisseru, 1956)
Oligacanthorhynchus major (Machado-Filho, 1963)
Oligacanthorhynchus manifestus (Leidy, 1851)
Oligacanthorhynchus mariemily (Tadros, 1969)
Oligacanthorhynchus microcephala (Rudolphi, 1819)
Oligacanthorhynchus minor Machado-Filho, 1964
Oligacanthorhynchus oligacanthus (Rudolphi, 1819)
Oligacanthorhynchus oti Machado-Filho, 1964
Oligacanthorhynchus pardalis (Westrumb, 1821)

The eggs are 58 um long and have an elongation ratio of 1.45.

Oligacanthorhynchus ricinoides (Rudolphi, 1808)
Oligacanthorhynchus shillongensis (Sen and Chauhan, 1972)
Oligacanthorhynchus spira (Diesing, 1851)
Oligacanthorhynchus taenioides (Diesing, 1851)
Oligacanthorhynchus thumbi Haffner, 1939
Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa (Leidy, 1850)
Oligacanthorhynchus tumidus (Van Cleve, 1947)

Oncicola
The genus Oncicola Travassos, 1916 contains many species.

Oncicola campanulata (Diesing, 1851)
Oncicola canis (Kaupp, 1909)
Oncicola chibigouzouensis Machado-Filho, 1963
Oncicola confusa (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Oncicola dimorpha Meyer, 1931
Oncicola freitasi (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Oncicola gigas Meyer, 1931
Oncicola justatesticularis (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Oncicola luehei (Travassos, 1917)

The complete mitochondrial genome of O. luehei has been sequenced.

Oncicola machadoi Schmidt, 1917
Oncicola macrurae Meyer, 1931
Oncicola magalhaesi Machado-Filho, 1962
Oncicola malayanus Toumanoff, 1947
Oncicola martini Schmidt, 1977
Oncicola michaelseni Meyer, 1932
Oncicola micracantha Machado-Filho, 1949
Oncicola oncicola (von Ihering, 1892)
Oncicola paracampanulata' Machado-Filho, 1963
Oncicola pomatostomi (Johnston and Cleland, 1912)
Oncicola schacheri Schmidt, 1972

O. schacheri is named after the collector of the samples Dr. John F. Schacher. It was found in the small intestines of around 20% of foxes (Vulpes vulpes, palestina subspecies) and juveniles were also found in the mesentaries of a badger (Meles meles) and are considered incidental hosts. All samples were collected in Lebanon. There is no marked sexual dimorphism apart from a small size difference: males were between 30.0 and 39.0 mm long and females were 39.0 to 44.0 mm long. There are twelve regularly alternative longitudinal rows of 3 hooks each. The hooks vary in size between 95 and 210 microns.

Oncicola signoides (Meyer, 1932)
Oncicola spirula (Olferas, 1819)
South American species that is common in captive primates.
Oncicola travassosi Witenberg, 1938
Oncicola venezuelensis Marteau, 1977
This species was described by a sample infecting the intestine of the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) in Venezuela, where it gets its name. It differs from other species of the genus mainly by its longer lemnisci which have six nuclei. There is no sexual dimorphism, with males ranging in length from 13.5 to 14.4 mm (without proboscis) and 2 mm maximum width and females randing in legth from 15 to 16 mm (also without proboscis) with a maximum width of 1.9 to 2.2 mm.

Cystacanths of O. venezuelensis are present in the hemocoel of Caribbean termites (Nasutitermes acajutlae) from St. Thomas and St. John islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands as an intermediate host. Cystacanths were present in Other intermediate hosts including in subcutaneous nodules of lizards (Anolis cristatellus and Anolis stratulus), in the greater omentum of small Indian mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus), and embedded in mesenteries of Pearly-eyed thrashers (Margarops fuscatus). The host from the U.S Virgin Islands is yet to be determined.

Pachysentis

The genus Pachysentis Meyer, 1931 contains numerous species.

Pachysentis angolensis (Golvan, 1957)
Pachysentis canicola Meyer, 1931
Pachysentis dollfusi (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Pachysentis ehrenbergi Meyer, 1931
Pachysentis gethi (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Pachysentis lenti (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Pachysentis procumbens Meyer, 1931
Pachysentis procyonis (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Pachysentis rugosus (Machado-Filho, 1950)
Pachysentis septemserialis (Machado-Filho, 1950)

Paraprosthenorchis

Paraprosthenorchis Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008 have a trunk over 200 mm long, ornate proboscis with three non-barbed hooks in each of 16 rows. They have simple hook roots without manubria, and a large oblong horizontally posterior hook base. There are about 35 festoons. Protonephridia are gill-like and capsular. Gonopore is terminal. The primary host are Manidae in Vietnam with ants and termites as intermediate hosts. This genus is named for its nearest oligacanthorhynchid genus, Prosthenorchis.

Paraprosthenorchis ornatus Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008

P. ornatus has been found in the intestine of the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) collected from the Hanoi Zoological Park, Vietnam. The anterior trunk has many small festoons and proboscis hooks are inserted in elevated papillae separated by beady, near hexagonal, ornate grids. The species is named for its uniquely ornate proboscis.

Prosthenorchis

Prosthenorchis Travassos, 1915 have a trunk up to 50 mm long, a proboscis that is not ornate with three barbed hooks in each of 12 rows. They have complex hook roots with large manubria, and a small discoid posterior hook base. There are up to 23 festoons. Gonopore is subterminal. The primary host are primates in South America and Felidae in Africa with cockroaches and beetles as intermediate hosts.
Prosthenorchis elegans (Diesing, 1851)
Prosthenorchis fraterna (Baer, 1959)
Prosthenorchis lemuri Machado-Filho, 1950
Prosthenorchis sinicus Hu-Jiand, 1990

Tchadorhynchus
The genus Tchadorhynchus Troncy, 1970 was erected as the single species contained within differs from related Oligacanthorhynchidae genera by morphological features of bot the adult and embryo as well as the group of hosts, hyenas, the worms parasitize.

Tchadorhynchus quentini Troncy, 1970

T. quentini was found parasitizing the Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) and the Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)in Chad.

Hosts
Oligacanthorhynchidae species parasitize mammals with insect and lizard intermediate hosts.

Notes


Burman University

Burman University is an independent publicly funded university located in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. It is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.  By date of founding, it is the oldest university in Alberta.
The school's official mission statement is to educate learners to think with discernment, to believe with insight and commitment and to act with confidence, compassion, and competence. The university places emphasis on service in local and global communities.

History
Burman University traces its roots to the first Seventh-day Adventist secondary school in Alberta, Alberta Industrial Academy, established in 1907 in Leduc by Charles and Leona Burman, merely two years after Alberta became a province of Canada.  Initially this school began as a training ground for colporteurs, named The Canvassers' School, before becoming Alberta Industrial Academy the same year.  In 1909, the school purchased a site near Lacombe consisting of over 1,200 acres of farmland.  The new high school was built on top of a hill that overlooked the campus.  Classes begun before construction had completed, leading to students sleeping in a barn and in tents during the first semester at Lacombe.  Eventually, a small village named College Heights, Alberta sprung up around the school to support the institution.  Enrollment rose quickly during the first few years, from 61 students to 223, and the school went through a number of name changes in a short span of time.  In 1919, the school added a post-secondary program and was renamed Canadian Junior College.  The following year, it became one of two Seventh-day Adventist colleges in Canada; Canadian Junior College served Western Canada while Oshawa Missionary College served Eastern Canada.

In May 1930, an arsonist burned down the administration building, the industrial building, and the men's dormitory, leaving several students badly injured and in need of hospitalization.  The school quickly rebuilt and the new buildings were re-opened that November.  The school struggled financially during the 1930s as a result of the Great Depression, with enrollment dropping below 100.  Battleford Academy, another Seventh-day Adventist school in Saskatchewan, was merged with Canadian Junior College in an effort to save money.  After World War II, a post-war boom increased enrollment above 300, and allowed the school to pay off debts from reconstructing the administration building.  In 1947, the school became a senior college and was renamed Canadian Union College, becoming the primary post-secondary institution for the Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.  That same year, it began its first four-year program in theology.  A music department was founded soon after, in 1949.

In 1958, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists recommended that Canadian Union College pursue provincial accreditation.  A large construction program began, and several new buildings were constructed, in an effort to win accreditation.  However, the government of Alberta did not allow private institutions to grant degrees at this time, and so no accreditation came; and the school was left heavily in debt.  At this time Oshawa Missionary College (now Kingsway College) was facing similar accreditation issues for its own post-secondary programs.  Beginning in the 1970s, Canadian Union College began pursuing a series of affiliation programs, to enable its students to study at CUC and get a degree.  In 1971, CUC affiliated itself with the University of Alberta, and through this program it offered first-year and later second-year university courses.  In 1979, CUC began an affiliate program with Union College, a Seventh-day Adventist university in Nebraska, which allowed CUC to begin offering three-year and four-year degree programs.  Some programs CUC was able to offer through Union College included a Bachelor of Education program and a Bachelor of Arts degree.  In 1983, CUC affiliated with Walla Walla College in order to offer the first two years of Walla Walla's engineering program.  Kingsway College also attempted to gain affiliations with Adventist universities in the United States, but failed to do so; and furthermore, because the Ontario government changed how nurses were educated in the province, Kingsway lost its nursing program, in 1975.  This led to the Canadian Union voting to close Kingsway's post-secondary program and merge it with CUC, in 1977.

In 1981, the Canadian Union of Seventh-day Adventists voted to separate the high school and college divisions of CUC into separate institutions.  The high school division was renamed Parkview Adventist Academy in 1982.  At the time of its separation, Parkview had an enrollment of 316.  Due to its close proximity to CUC, it shared and continues to share a number of facilities with the university, such as the dormitory and the music program.

In 1984, the province of Alberta created the "Private Colleges Accreditation Board," which allowed private schools in Alberta to apply for the right to become a degree-granting university.  In 1991, Canadian Union College became one of the first four private institutions in Alberta given the ability to grant Bachelor's degrees.  The first Bachelor's programs to receive accreditation were three-year degrees in English, Music, and Religious Studies.  Several other programs were quickly added during the next decade.  CUC continued to offer other degrees through Union College at this time.

In 1997, due to the perception in Canada that a college is an institution that did not offer degrees, CUC changed its name to Canadian University College.  The name change allowed the university to keep its initials.  The change to "University College" was also made in conjunction with the other three private institutions in Alberta which had been allowed to grant degrees.  In 2000, College Heights was annexed into the growing city of Lacombe.

Because CUC had gained the ability to grant its own degrees, its affiliate programs were slowly wound down and replaced with programs under the university's own charter.  The Union College affiliate program ended in 2008, after CUC was granted the right to award the Bachelor of Education degree.  In July 2014 the Alberta Government gave permission for Alberta's now five independent publicly funded institutions to change status from "university college" to "university". As a result, in December 2014, the Canadian University College Board of Trustees approved changing the university's name from Canadian University College to Burman University. The name Burman University was chosen in honour of Charles and Leona Burman who founded the institution in 1907.  The name change was made official on 1 May 2015.

Campus

Burman University is located in Lacombe, Alberta, on top of a hill overlooking Barnett Lake.  Lacombe is located less than half an hour away from Red Deer, an hour away from Edmonton, and an hour and a half away from Calgary.

The campus consists of 17 buildings.  These buildings include the administration building, the College Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church, the College Heights Christian School (for K-9 students), Parkview Adventist Academy (for grade 10-12 students), the Chan Shun Science Centre, West Hall (arts, english, and music), the McKibbin Centre (education), the Physical Education centre, and a few other buildings.

Burman operates four residences for students.  Lakeview Hall and Maple Hall are co-educational dormitories; men and women live on opposite wings of each dorm.  Lakeview is for first and second year students; Maple Hall is for third and fourth year students.  Riverton Hall is a co-educational dormitory for third and fourth year students; Riverton has suites instead of dorm rooms, and is divided into gender-specific halls.  Redstone is an honour house for older female students.

Academics

Burman University is accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association.  The Province of Alberta, through the Minister of Advanced Education, grants Burman University the right to award degrees; programs offered at Burman University are approved by the Campus Alberta Quality Council.  Burman University is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada.

Burman employs 35 full-time faculty, and 41 Ph.D. faculty overall.  Burman's students come from 37 countries, and Burman boasts a 13:1 student-to-professor ratio.

School of Education

Burman's school of education is one of the oldest programs at Burman.  Initially beginning as a four-year degree offered through Union College, Burman began awarding the Bachelor of Education under its own charter once approval was granted by the Province of Alberta in 2004.  Burman currently awards the Bachelor of Education with majors in Elementary or Secondary education, with specializations in biology, business, english, mathematics, music, religious studies, and social studies; and additional minors in art, chemistry, french, physical education, and physical science, as well as minors in all of the previously named specializations.  In 2017, 29% of Burman graduates received a Bachelor of Education degree, making the School of Education one of the largest programs at Burman.  The school of education is currently led by Shirley Freed.

School of Business
Burman has a school of business which offers the Bachelor of Business Administration, with tracks in accounting, human resource management, international business, and management. Burman's school of business also offers a three-year business degree as a bachelor of arts, without a speciality track; as well as a minor.

Other Programs

Burman's other programs are divided into a Division of Arts and a Division of Science, which lead to various majors and minors for the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees.  A few departments are notable enough to have their own chairs: these include Music (which offers a Bachelor of Music degree), English, Religious Studies, Biology, Psychology, Outward Pursuits, and Wellness; each of these departments offers a major in their field.

Affiliations

Burman has articulated program agreements with a few Seventh-day Adventist universities, which allow students to begin programs at Burman and finish them at the other university.  Burman offers a Bachelor of Social Work from La Sierra University, and also offers an Extended Campus Program from La Sierra University during the summer.  Burman also offers a Master of International Development Administration from Andrews University.  In 2019, Burman began an articulated program agreement with Kettering College, allowing Burman to offer the first three semesters of Kettering's Bachelor of Nursing program.

Burman also has an articulated program agreement with Red Deer College, which allows students from RDC to transfer into Burman's Business, Education, and Music programs.

Burman, like all Adventist colleges and universities, allows its students to attend other Adventist universities in France, Austria, Spain, Argentina, Italy, and Germany for a year through the Adventist Colleges Abroad program, in pursuit of a learning a second language.

Parkview Adventist Academy (10-12) and College Heights Christian School (K-9) operate on the campus of Burman University.  While they have separate administrative structures, they share many of Burman's facilities.  Additionally, Burman's education students are involved at each school, for observation and practicum.

Student Life

The Burman University Student Association (BUSA) is the student association at Burman University.

Students at Burman University publish a newspaper, named the Aurora Chronicles, and a yearbook, named the Aurora Borealis.

Campus Ministries is responsible for the spiritual life of students on campus.  Campus Ministries is led by student chaplains, in co-ordination with the university's chaplains.  Campus Ministries provides a number of service opportunities for Burman students, such as a soup kitchen, sunshine bands, and mission trips.  A number of Burman University students choose to take a year off of school to travel overseas and serve as a student missionary for a year.

Athletics

Burman University has a number of athletics teams which its students may compete in.

The Acronaires are a touring gymnastics group, founded in 1973, which performs shows at schools and communities across Canada and around the world.  Their mission is to encourage healthy lifestyles and promote athletic involvement among young people.  They also offer a children's acrobatics program for local children in their community.

Burman offers indoor soccer, volleyball, and basketball teams for both men and women, and they also offer a men's ice hockey team.  Burman's teams had previously competed in the Alberta Colleges Athletic League prior to the collapse of that organization in 2015.  Burman then made two applications to join the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, but both applications were rejected in light of Burman's inability to play games on the sabbath, as observed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  Without a conference, Burman was forced to schedule exhibition games to fill out its schedule for a few years.  In 2018, Burman was granted permission to join the Prairie Athletic Conference, which consists of colleges in Saskatchewan and Alberta.  The current athletic director is Ron Schafer.

PAC Provincial Championships
Men's Basketball (1) (2019)
Men's Futsal (1) (2020)
Women's Futsal (1) (2020)

ACAL Championships
Men's Basketball (5) (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015)

Music

Burman University's music department was founded in 1949, but music has been a part of the university since the beginning.  Perlie Park Adams taught the first choir, in 1910.  The current choir was named the Choral Union in 1977, under the leadership of current director Wendolin Pazitka-Munroe.  The choir was given that name because it consisted of both university students and students from Parkview Adventist Academy.  The Choral Union is highly acclaimed, and has sung across Europe, 47 of the 50 United States, Latin America, and China.  They have also sung at Carnegie Hall on three occasions, sung for the Premier of Alberta on three occasions, sung with the Lions Gate Sinfonia, and have collaborated with John Rutter and Jonathan Willcocks.  The membership of the choir fluctuates between 100-120 singers each year.

In addition to the choir, Burman also has an orchestra under the direction of Eduardo Sola, which also tours extensively and frequently accompanies the Choral Union.  The Burman University orchestra dates back to the 1920s, having been founded by Fred Jerome.  The Burman University band, which is currently named the Silverwinds concert band, was also founded by Fred Jerome.

Burman University's music department has hosted a Sunday at 4 concert series for decades (previously named Sunday at 7).  This concert series invites classical musicians from around the world to perform for a general admission audience.