<P> Most notably, Uthman consolidated Muawiyah's governorship of Syria by granting him control over a larger area . Muawiyah proved a very successful governor . He built up a loyal and disciplined army composed of Syrian Arabs and also befriended Amr ibn al - As, the ousted governor of Egypt . In 639 Muawiyah was appointed as the governor of Syria after the previous governor Abu Ubaidah ibn al - Jarrah died in a plague along with 25,000 other people . In 649 Muawiyah set up a navy manned by Monophysite Christian, Copt and Jacobite Syrian Christian sailors and Muslim troops, who defeated the Byzantine navy at the Battle of the Masts in 655, opening up the Mediterranean . </P> <P> Uthman's rule also saw the relaxing of restrictions instituted by the second Caliph Umar ibn Al - Khattab . Umar had maintained a tight grip on the governors; if he felt that a governor or a commander was becoming attracted to wealth, he had him removed from his position . Umar also ordered Muslim armies to stay in encampments away from cities because he feared that they might get attracted to wealth and turn away from the worship of God . At the time, tribal differences among Arabs, which had been discouraged in Muhammad's life time, resurfaced . Deep - rooted differences between Iraq and Syria, that had belonged to the long - warring Sassanid and Byzantine Empire respectively, also persisted . </P> <P> Conflicts over Uthman's policies led to his murder in 656 . Ali, the cousin and son - in - law of Muhammad, became caliph and moved his capital from Medina to Kufa . He soon met with resistance from several factions, especially from Muawiyah, the governor of Syria, who wanted Uthman's murderers arrested . Muhammad's wife, Aisha, and two companions of Muhammad, Talhah and Al - Zubayr, supported this demand . The conflict resulted in the First Fitna ("civil war") from 656 until 661 . Ali was victorious against Aisha in the Battle of the Camel in 656 but the Battle of Siffin (July 657) against Muawiyah was inconclusive . Ali's position als Caliph was weakened when he first agreed to an arbitration but then refused to accept the verdict, that both Ali and Muawiyah should step down and a new Caliph be chosen . In 661, the most vociferous opponents of the arbitration, the Kharijites, tried to kill both rivals; while Ali was killed, the attempt on Muawiyah failed . Ali's son Hasan (the second Imam for the Shias), accepted Muawiyah as Caliph on the condition that he be just to the people and keep them safe and secure, and that he not establish a dynasty to rule after his death . In spite of the latter condition, this marked the beginning of the Umayyad dynasty, with its capital in Damascus . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (July 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Where did the umayyads move the capital of the muslim empire