Siege of Bamyan (1221)
| 1221 Siege of Bamyan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Mongol invasion of Central Asia | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Mongol Empire | Khwarezmian Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Genghis Khan | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 30,000 men | unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | all killed | ||||||||
The 1221 siege of Bamyan by the Mongol Empire under the leadership of Genghis Khan occurred in what is now Bamyan, Afghanistan.
The siege occurred while the Mongols were pursuing Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, the last ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire, and his newly raised forces in Afghanistan.
During the siege Mutukan (Mö'etüken), son of Chagatai Khan and favourite grandson of Genghis Khan, was killed in battle by an arrow from the besieged walls. This death, compounded by the heavy casualties sustained by his forces during the siege and the realization of his own mortality, angered Genghis to the extent that once he captured Bamiyan city he completely destroyed the city and killed its entire and surrounding regions population. The destruction was so complete that even the Mongols referred to Bamiyan as "the city of sorrows"(ie. city of woe), while another title was "city of noise (or screams)" - in reference to the cries of its murdered victims.
Following the siege, Genghis continued his pursuit of Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu into India.
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