In the sixth century, the eastern Mediterranean, with its important commercial and religious centers, continues to be an integral part of the Byzantine realm. The following century, however, bears witness to a brief Sasanian interlude and Arab conquests in the name of Islam. Under Umayyad rule, Damascus becomes the center of an empire that eventually extends from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Asia. Late Roman as well as Byzantine and Sasanian models continue to be used alongside an emerging artistic expression that is distinctly Islamic.