Waleed
Al-Walid ibn ʿAbd al-Malik (c. 668 – 715), commonly known as al-Walid I, was the sixth caliph of the Umayyad dynasty, reigning from October 705 until his death on 23 February 715 in Damascus.[1][2] The eldest son of his predecessor ʿAbd al-Malik, al-Walid oversaw the apogee of Umayyad territorial expansion, with armies under his command conquering the Maghreb, Hispania, Sind, and Transoxiana, thereby extending the caliphate from the Atlantic to the borders of India and China.[3][1] He is particularly noted for his patronage of monumental architecture, including the construction of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, expansions to the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which symbolized the consolidation of Islamic rule and Arab cultural dominance.[1][3] Al-Walid also implemented early social welfare measures, providing stipends and support for the poor, disabled, and elderly among the Muslim population in Syria, fostering loyalty and stability within the empire's core provinces.[2]