1219 to 1220
Siege of Otrar
The governor of Otrar had killed the members of a Mongol trade caravan. Genghis Khan's revenge began the destruction of the Khwarazmian empire.
Battles · Mongols
Mongol Invasions of the Muslim World
7 battles and sieges from 1219 to 1260. Each links to its own page with the sides, the commanders, the result and a map.
1221
Siege of Gurganj
After months of siege the Mongols broke a dam and flooded the city. It was one of the deadliest sieges of the age.
1221
Battle of the Indus
Jalal al-Din fought to the end, then rode his horse off the riverbank into the Indus and escaped. Genghis Khan is said to have praised his courage.
1256
Fall of Alamut
The mountain castles of the Assassins, feared for 150 years, surrendered one after another.
1258
Fall of Baghdad
After a two-week siege Baghdad surrendered on 10 February 1258. Huge numbers were killed, libraries were destroyed, and the caliph was put to death. The Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad ended after 508 years.
1260
Siege of Aleppo
Aleppo fell in January 1260 and Damascus surrendered soon after. Only Mamluk Egypt was left.
1260
Battle of Ain Jalut
On 3 September 1260 the Mamluks used a feigned retreat to trap the Mongol army, and Kitbuqa was killed. It was the first great Mongol defeat, and it saved Egypt and the holy cities.
Other kinds of war
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