:Siege of Bamyan
{{Short description|1221 Mongol victory over the Khwarazmians}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Siege of Bamyan
| width =
| partof = the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire
| image = 02- Gholghola Mountains.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Ruins of Shahr-e-Gholghola
| alt =
| date = July 1221
| place = Bamyan, Khwarazmian Empire (present-day Hazarajat, Afghanistan)
| coordinates = {{coord|34|49|30|N|67|50|00|E|display=inline,title}}
| result = Mongol victory
| territory =
| combatants_header = Belligerents
| combatant1 = Mongol Empire
| combatant2 = Khwarazmian Empire
| commander1 = Genghis Khan
| commander2 = Jalal al-Din Mangburni
| units1 =
| units2 =
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| notes =
| campaignbox =
| map_type = Asia#Afghanistan
| map_relief = yes
| map_size = 290px
| map_marksize =
| map_caption = Location of the siege on a map of modern Afghanistan
| map_label = Siege of Bamyan
}}
{{Campaignbox Mongol invasions and conquests}}
{{Campaignbox Genghis Khan's Campaigns}}
{{Campaignbox Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire}}
The siege of Bamyan ({{langx|prs|محاصره بامیان}}) took place in the spring of 1221 A.D. during the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire. An army under the leadership of Genghis Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire, who was in pursuit of Sultan Jalal al-Din Mangburni, the last ruler of the Khwarazmian Empire, Genghis Khan crossed the Hindu Kush and after that besieged the citadel of Shahr-e-Gholghola near Bamyan, northwest of Kabul, in present-day Afghanistan. The siege had led to a devastating attack that left the city in ruins.{{cite web |title=City of Screams: Gholghola |url=https://visit-bamyan.com/city-of-screams-gholghola/ |website=Visit Bamiyan |date=4 June 2020 |accessdate=2025-02-04}}
Events
{{Further|Mongol campaigns in Central Asia|Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire}}
The siege occurred in 1221 while the Mongols were pursuing Jalal al-Din Mangburni, the last ruler of the Khwarazmian Empire, where Jalal al-Din Mangburni had formed a new Muslim army in Afghanistan.{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofwars0000unse/page/55/mode/1up?q=mongol | title= Dictionary of Wars | date=2007 | last1=Kohn | first1=George C | publisher= New York : Facts on File/Checkmark Books }} p. 55. The city of Bamyan refused to give itself up to the Mongol army when they had approached.{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/genghiskhanconqu00hart/page/113/mode/1up?q=bamian | title= Genghis Khan : Conqueror of the World | date=2004 | last1=Hartog | first1=Leo de | publisher= London ; New York : Taurisparke Paperbacks }} p. 113. During the siege the Mongol army led by Genghis Khan besieged the city of Bamyan.{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofwars0000kohn_u2r1/page/48/mode/1up?q=1221 | isbn=0816010056 | title= Dictionary of Wars | date=1986 | last1=Kohn | first1=George C | publisher= New York, N.Y. : Facts on File }} p. 48. The city possessed significant defensive fortifications. The Mongols continued their siege despite facing resistance. After considerable resistance the Mongols breached the walls and captured the city.{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/buddhasofbamiyan0000morg/page/36/mode/2up?q=capture | isbn= 9780674057883 | title= The Buddhas of Bamiyan | date=2012 | last1=Morgan | first1=Llewelyn | publisher= Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press }} p. 36. During the siege Mutukan, the eldest son of Chagatai Khan and beloved grandson of Genghis Khan, was killed in the battle by an arrow from the besieged city walls.{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/conquestsofgengh0000behn/page/106/mode/1up?q=bamiyan | isbn= 9780822575191 | title= The Conquests of Genghis Khan | date=2008 | last1=Behnke | first1=Alison | publisher= Minneapolis : Twenty-First Century Books }} p. 106. His death, coupled with the significant losses his army had suffered, is said to have prompted Genghis Khan to order the execution of the city’s inhabitants and the city’s destruction. The scale of destruction led to the city being referred as "the city of sorrows" and "the city of noise (or screams)".{{cite web |url=http://www.kashgar.com.au/articles/Remembering-Bamiyan |title=Remembering Bamiyan |publisher=Kashgar.com.au |access-date=9 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004201837/http://www.kashgar.com.au/articles/Remembering-Bamiyan |archive-date=4 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/genghiskhanmongo00jean/page/124/mode/1up?q=bamiyan | isbn=0810991039 | title= Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire | date=2003 | last1=Roux | first1=Jean-Paul | publisher= New York : Harry N. Abrams }} p. 124. Another account from the siege tells of Jalal al-Din Mangburni's daughter betraying the city by revealing its secret entrance to the Mongols.{{cite web |title=City of Screams: Gholghola |url=https://visit-bamyan.com/city-of-screams-gholghola/ |website=Visit Bamiyan |date=4 June 2020 |accessdate=2025-02-04}}
Following the siege Genghis Khan subsequently advanced in pursuit of Jalal al-Din Mangburni into the Delhi Sultanate territory.{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/conquestsofgengh0000behn/page/107/mode/1up?q=bamiyan | isbn= 9780822575191 | title= The Conquests of Genghis Khan | date=2008 | last1=Behnke | first1=Alison | publisher= Minneapolis : Twenty-First Century Books }} p. 107. Today the site of the ancient city of Bamyan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/208|title=Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=2 August 2022|archive-date=28 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128162824/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/208|url-status=live}} Bamyan was unable to recover from this event for a long time. Even decades later, the city was still devastated, according to a report by a Persian historian.{{Cite web|last=Foundation|first=Encyclopaedia Iranica|title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica|url=https://iranicaonline.org/|access-date=2021-08-14|website=iranicaonline.org|language=en-US}}
A common belief is that after the local Afghan population was annihilated, Genghis repopulated the area with some Mongolian soldiers and their slaves in order to garnish the region while continuing his campaign.{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofst0002mina/page/727/mode/1up?q=genghis | title= Encyclopedia of the stateless nations : ethnic and national groups around the world | date=2007 | last1=James | first1=Minahan | publisher= Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press }} p. 728.