September 1260Reputable sourceWell documented
The Battle of Ain Jalut
On the timeline · around September 1260 ·
What happened
As Hülegü pulled the bulk of his army back after Möngke's death, the Egyptian Mamluks marched to meet the remaining Mongol force in Palestine. At Ain Jalut ('the Spring of Goliath') in September 1260, the Mamluk sultan Qutuz and his general Baybars lured the Mongols under Kitbuqa into a trap and destroyed them.
Why it matters
Ain Jalut was the first major defeat of a Mongol army and halted their westward advance for good, saving Egypt, the Muslim heartland, and North Africa. It shattered the myth of Mongol invincibility.