▁Muslim ▁traditional ▁sources , ▁is ▁generally ▁considered ▁the ▁start ▁of ▁his ▁cal i ph ate . ▁With ▁his ▁acc ession , ▁the ▁political ▁capital ▁and ▁the ▁cal i phal ▁tre as ury ▁were ▁transferred ▁to ▁Dam asc us , ▁the ▁seat ▁of ▁Mu ' aw i ya ' s ▁power . ▁Sy ria ' s ▁emer gence ▁as ▁the ▁metropol is ▁of ▁the ▁Um ay y ad ▁C ali ph ate ▁was ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁Mu ' aw i ya ' s ▁twenty - year ▁ent rench ment ▁in ▁the ▁province , ▁the ▁ge ographic ▁distribution ▁of ▁its ▁relatively ▁large ▁Arab ▁population ▁throughout ▁the ▁province ▁in ▁contrast ▁to ▁their ▁se clusion ▁in ▁g arrison ▁cities ▁in ▁other ▁provinces , ▁and ▁the ▁dom ination ▁of ▁a ▁single ▁trib al ▁conf eder ation , ▁the ▁Kal b - led ▁Q uda ' a , ▁as ▁opposed ▁to ▁the ▁wide ▁array ▁of ▁compet ing ▁trib al ▁groups ▁in ▁Ira q . ▁These ▁long - est ab lished , ▁formerly ▁Christian ▁Arab ▁tribes ▁in ▁Sy ria , ▁having ▁been ▁integrated ▁into ▁the ▁military ▁of ▁the ▁By z antine ▁Empire ▁and ▁their ▁Gh ass an id ▁client ▁k ings , ▁were ▁" more ▁acc ustom ed ▁to ▁order ▁and ▁ob ed ience " ▁than ▁their ▁Ira qi ▁counter parts , ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁historian ▁Julius ▁Well hausen . ▁Mu ' aw i ya ▁re lied ▁on ▁the ▁powerful ▁Kal b ite ▁chief ▁I bn ▁Bah dal ▁and ▁the ▁Kind ite ▁no blem an ▁Sh ur ah bil ▁ibn