Sixth Umayyad Caliph who ruled during the peak of power and success. Despite the disapproval of the more devout, Abd al-Malik was able to ensure that his son al-Walid I succeeded him and for the first time, the dynastic principle was accepted in the Islamic world without demur. Walid I ruled from 705 to 715 and was best known for the construction of mosques. He enlarged the mosque at Makkah, rebuilt that of Madinah and constructed the Umayyad mosque at Damascus, which is considered the fourth holiest sanctuary of Islam. The Umayyad dynasty had reached its zenith. Walid I had ruled parts of Central Asia, Coastal North Africa, and Spain was brought under the domain of Muslims. The Arabs felt no compulsion - religious or otherwise - to conquer western Christendom in the name of Islam. Indeed, Europe seemed remarkably unattractive to them - there were few opportunities for trade in that primitive backwater and the climate was terrible. In his reign of Walid I, General Tariq landed at Jabrul Tariq and thus made it possible to establish Muslim dynasty in Europe, which lasted for about 800 years. Caliph al-Walid I was born Walid al-Abu al-Abbas al-Walid Ibn Abdul Malik Bin Marwan.