were the fifth and sixth Umayyad caliphs, Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705) and his son al-Walid (r. 705–15). The elder of these, Abd al-Malik, became caliph in the midst of the second fitna, when provinces across the Muslim world were in open revolt. His first priority was to restore the unity and stability of Umayyad power across the still-expanding Islamic world. He did so by centralizing and “imperializing” authority, appointing powerful provincial governors who were closely accountable to his court in Damascus,
