Hülegü and the Fall of Baghdad

What happened

In 1258 Genghis Khan's grandson Hülegü led a Mongol army against Baghdad, capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a great centre of Islamic learning. After a short siege the city fell and was sacked, its libraries destroyed and the caliph and much of the population killed. Hülegü founded the Ilkhanate to rule Persia.

Why it matters

The sack of Baghdad ended the five-century Abbasid Caliphate and is often taken to mark the close of the Islamic Golden Age.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Ilkhanate · Reputable source