Siege of Merv (1221)

Siege of Merv
Part of the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire
DateApril, 1221
Location
Merv, present-day Turkmenistan
37°39′46″N 62°11′33″E / 37.66278°N 62.19250°E / 37.66278; 62.19250
Result Mongol victory
Belligerents
Mongol Empire Khwarazmian Empire
Commanders and leaders
 Dawud (governor)
Units involved
 City garrison
Strength
Modern estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000 12,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown 10,000–15,000
Merv is located in Turkmenistan
Merv
Merv
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Location of the siege on a map of modern Turkmenistan
Merv is located in West and Central Asia
Merv
Merv
Merv (West and Central Asia)

The siege of Merv (Persian: محاصره مرو) took place in April 1221, during the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire. In 1219, Genghis Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire, invaded the Khwarazmian Empire ruled by Shah Muhammad II. While the Shah planned to defend his major cities individually and divided his army to station in several garrisons, the Mongols laid siege to one town after another deep into Khorasan, heart of the Khwarazmian Empire.

The city of Merv was a major center of learning, trade and culture of Khorasan, then part of the extensive Khwarazmian Empire. A Mongol force, estimated to number between 30,000 and 50,000 men and led by Tolui, son of Genghis Khan, traversed the Karakum Desert after destroying the former imperial capital Gurganj in the north. According to several contemporary historians, Merv's defenders surrendered to Mongols within 7 to 10 days.

Historical accounts contend that Merv's entire population, including refugees, who had previously fled from other besieged towns of the empire, were killed. Mongols are reputed to have slaughtered 700,000 people,[1][2][3] while Persian historian, Juvayni, puts the figure at more than 1,300,000,[4] making it one of the bloodiest captures of a city in world history.

  1. ^ Naimark, Norman (2017). Genocide A World History. Oxford University Press. p. 21. ISBN 9780199765263. The city of Merv fell in February 1221 to Tolui, Genghis Khan's youngest son, who is said to have massacred 700,000 persons while sparing some eighty craftsmen.
  2. ^ Goldstein, Joshua (2011). Winning the War on War The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 45–63. ISBN 9781101549087.
  3. ^ Bonner, Jay (2017). Islamic Geometric Patterns Their Historical Development and Traditional Methods of Construction. Springer New York. p. 115. ISBN 9781441902177.
  4. ^ Alāʼ al-Dīn ʻAṭā Malik Juvaynī, History of the World Conqueror, J.A. Boyle, transl., pp.163-4 (Harvard Univ. Press. 1968).