Baghdad, 1258: The Mongol Siege
Also known as: Battle of Baghdad
Reconstruct Hulagu’s advance, the failed negotiations, and the fall of the Abbasid capital. Examine the consequences for Baghdad’s inhabitants and institutions while distinguishing documented destruction from later legends about the city’s libraries.
Connections9
Ata-Malik Juvayni: people, places, and context for the episode.
Ata-Malik Juvayni was a bureaucrat and historian from the Juvayni family who served under the Mongol Empire. He is known for composing the Tarikh-i Jahangushay, an important account on the history of Central Asia and the 13th-century Mongol invasion of Muslim world.
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi: people, places, and context for the episode.
Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī, commonly known as Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī or simply (al-)Tusi, was a Persian polymath, architect, philosopher, physician, scientist, and theologian, as well as a prominent Shiʿite scholar.
Guo Kan: people, places, and context for the episode.
Guo Kan was a Chinese general who served the Mongol Empire in their conquest of China and the West. He descended from a lineage of Chinese generals.
Möngke Khan: people, places, and context for the episode.
Möngke Khan was the fourth khagan of the Mongol Empire, ruling from 1 July 1251 to 11 August 1259. He was the first Khagan from the Toluid line, and made significant reforms to improve the administration of the Empire during his reign.
Ilkhanate: people, places, and context for the episode.
The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids, and known to the Mongols as Hülegü Ulus.
Abbasid Caliphate: people, places, and context for the episode.
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third Islamic caliphate, ruled by the Abbasid dynasty. The dynasty was descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, after whom it is named.
Baghdad: people, places, and context for the episode.
Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq. It is located on the banks of the Tigris in central Iraq. The city has an estimated population of 8 million.
Al-Musta'sim: people, places, and context for the episode.
Abū Aḥmad ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mustanṣir, better known by his regnal title al-Mustaʿṣim bi-llāh, was the 37th and last Abbasid caliph of Baghdad. He held the title from 1242 until his death at the hands of Mongols in 1258.
Hulegu Khan: people, places, and context for the episode.
Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu, was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West Asia.