Already very old Rashidun Caliph Ali ibn Abi Ṭalib got sick during first Ethiopian War and the Arabian forces were forced to escort the dying Caliph back to Al-Uqsur after Senna was burned to the ground. Ali died soon after the army returned to Arabian lands.
As the greatest Arabian General, Khalid ibn al-Walid, had also passed away four years ago in Persia, Arabia was now leaderless and standing on an edge, from which a wrong move could lead to the collapsion of the Caliphate.
However, in Makkah an offspring of the Banu Umayya clan, Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan or Muawiyah I had already established his connections to the rulers of Arabian heartlands as well as with the distant parts of the Caliphate. In 860AD, with the support of his allies, he claimed the rule of Arabia to himself and rewarded his supporters with seats in his newly formed divans. The Caliphate was now called the Umayyad Caliphate.
During his rule the magnificent Masjid al-Haram was built in Makkah and the construction of the Spiral Minaret was quickened, though it wasn't finished until few years after his death in 940AD.
Muawiyah spent most of his time strengthening the Caliphate and he didn't launch new military campaigns, although the Caliphate was still at war against Ethiopia. However, the pirates of the Indian Ocean, Mongols from Asia and the Beduin rebels assured that the Arabian army and navy stayed alert and in good shape.
Muawiyah passed away in 934AD and his successor was Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, who was very ambitious. Therefore in 938AD he launced a new campaign against the Islamic Kingdom of Ethiopia. The campaign against the weak Ethiopians was relatively short and the city of Aksum fell under the power of the 1st and 2nd Egyptian Riders in 960AD.
Al-Walid I fiered new encounters with the aggressive African natives and didn't want to continue the campaignn further into Africa, thus he signed peace with the King of Ethiopia Zara Yakob.
However, Al-Walid had a secret agenda as he wanted strengthen Arabia's position on the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the west, and the collapsion of the Greek League offered a great opportunity to do just that. Thus Al-Walid's navy from Kem Kasir began the long journey towards Tunis, where the Arabian armies were assembled under the command of the greatest Arabian general, Tariq ibn Ziyad, for a naval invasion against the recently formed the Kingdom of Spain, with which Arabia had just formed diplomatic relationships.
Meanwhile Al-Walid's himself traveled to Persia, as he was already planning another invasion against the vast and mysterious Indian Empire.
Still learning to use it though..
