Arts, Islamic, The Umayyad and 'Abbasid dynasties: classical Islamic music

Under the Umayyad caliphate (661 - 750) the classical style of Islamic music developed further. The capital was moved to Damascus (in modern Syria) and the courts were thronged with male and female musicians, who formed a class apart. Many prominent musicians were Arab by birth or acculturation, but the alien element continued to play a predominant role in Islamic music. The first