February 10th 1258 marks the conclusion of the Siege of Baghdad, and as a result, the end of the Islamic caliphate. This was one of the most significant turning points in medieval history because the Abbasid Caliphate had ruled for over fives centuries. From their capital of Baghdad, the Abbasid’s had presiding over an empire whose cultural influence stretched from India to the Iberian peninsula. However, on this day in 1258, this mighty empire feel victim to the Mongol Empire.
The Abbasid Empire presided over what has come to be known as the “Golden Age of Islam”. During this age of cultural, scientific, artistic, and technological innovation, which featured the invention of algebra and breakthroughs in modern medicine, Baghdad became one of the most advanced and important cities in the world during the years 800-1200 ad.
By the 13th century, however, Abbasid authority was weakening. Many of the regions within the caliphate were starting to break from it, and the caliphs had far less power than their predecessors. The internal situation was worsened by the growing rivalries between Sunni and Shia Muslims, a division that continues to divide the Middles East today. Simultaneously, a new force was emerging from the east. The Mongol Empire, led by Genghis Khan’s grandson Möngke Khan, had become the largest land empire in history. The task of expanding into Mesopotamia was given to Khan’s brother, Hülegü.
Hũlegü’s army, numbering 138,000 men, reached Baghdad in January 1258. Far outnumbering the 30,000 defenders, the city’s resistance collapsed following within two weeks. On the 10th of February, the Mongols entered Baghdad, and what ensued was one of the most infamous sacks in history:
For days, the city was subjected to widespread killing and destruction. It is estimated that some 200,000 subjects of the caliph were slaughtered by the Mongols. Some of the greatest losses were from Baghdad’s great libraries, with stories claiming that so many books were thrown in the Tigris that the waters turned black with ink. The Mongols made an example of Baghdad, and this can best be shown by the execution of Caliph Al-Musta’sim. The caliph is said to have been wrapped in a carpet and trampled to death to avoid the spilling of royal blood, which was taboo in Mongol society.
The impact of the fall of Baghdad was monumental. Although members of the Abbasid family later reestablished some power, with the installation of Al-Musantir II as a puppet for Mamluk state in Cario, there would not be an Islamic power in the Middle East for the first time in over half a millennium. Baghdad, once the most important city in the world, fell into a long period of decline.
The sack of Baghdad marked the collapse of a centuries-old political and cultural centre. The destruction of the house of wisdom created large gaps in human literary knowledge, and centuries of intellectual achievement was thrown into the Tigris River. It fundamentally altered the political world in the Middle East, as the historic Muslim caliphate was crushed by the unstoppable momentum of Mongol expansionism. February 10th 1258 represented the end of a great ‘Golden Era of Islam’ as the Caliphate feel, and with it, one of the greatest cities on Earth.
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Bibliography:
Baghdad Sacked by the Mongols | History Today
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate