Explore the question in detail with explanation, related questions, and community discussions.
The sack of Baghdad by the Mongol ruler Halaku Khan took place in the year 1258 CE (656 AH). This catastrophic event marked the end of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, which had been the political and cultural center of the Islamic world for over 500 years.
Halaku Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, led the Mongol army to conquer the city after a series of invasions in the Middle East. The siege lasted for several days, and when the city finally fell, hundreds of thousands of people were killed, libraries and Islamic manuscripts were destroyed, and much of Baghdad’s rich cultural heritage was lost forever.
The last Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad, Caliph Al-Musta'sim Billah, was killed during this invasion. This event dealt a severe blow to Islamic civilization, as Baghdad was then a leading hub of knowledge, science, medicine, and learning. After the sack of Baghdad, the Abbasid Caliphate continued symbolically in Cairo under the protection of the Mamluks but never regained its former power.
Event: Sack of Baghdad.
Year: 1258 CE / 656 AH.
Attacker: Halaku Khan, a Mongol ruler.
Result: End of Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad.
Impact: Destruction of libraries, mass killings, major loss of Islamic scholarship and culture.
Aftermath: Abbasid caliphs continued in Cairo, but political dominance shifted elsewhere.
Discussion
Leave a Comment