Siege of Merv (1221)
| Siege of Merv (1221) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire | |||||||||
The Walls of the city of Merv, which never recovered from the Mongol conquests; the tomb of Ahmad Sanjar can be seen through a gap in the ruined fortifications. | |||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||
| 700,000-1,300,000 civilians killed | |||||||||
Location of the siege on a map of modern Turkmenistan | |||||||||
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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, while Persian historian, Juvayni, as well as R. J. Rummel put the figure at more than 1,300,000, making it one of the bloodiest captures of a city in world history.