Siege
1260 siege during the Mongol invasion of Syria
The siege of Aleppo was a major military engagement during the Mongol invasions of the Levant, lasting from 17 January to 24 January 1260. The Mongol army under Hulagu Khan, supported by forces from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and the Principality of Antioch, besieged the Ayyubid-held city after crossing the Euphrates and capturing nearby settlements.
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Text from the Wikipedia article “Siege of Aleppo”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The siege of Aleppo was a major military engagement during the Mongol invasions of the Levant, lasting from 17 January to 24 January 1260. The Mongol army under Hulagu Khan, supported by forces from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and the Principality of Antioch, besieged the Ayyubid-held city after crossing the Euphrates and capturing nearby settlements.
In the 11th century, Aleppo became a contested center of power between competing Seljuk leaders and local dynasties. Alp Arslan ibn Chagri-beg faced internal conflict within the Seljuk clan early in his reign, defeating rival family members and consolidating authority. He later extended Seljuk influence into Syria and made the Mirdasid dynasty of Aleppo his vassal in 1070. After receiving the submission of Harran and Edessa, Mongol leader Hulagu Khan crossed the Euphrates, sacked Manbij and placed Aleppo under siege.
Hulegu left Azerbaijan in September 1259 and sent advance forces under the Kitbuqa Noyan ahead of the main army. The Mongol forces moved through the regions east of Lake Van, passing through Diyarbakir, where they began systematically subduing towns in Upper Mesopotamia. Hulagu himself captured several settlements, including Edessa, Nusaybin, and Harran, before advancing across the Euphrates River toward Syria.
As the Mongol army approached Aleppo, an-Nasir Yusuf abandoned the city and withdrew toward Damascus, while the Mongols prepared for the assault using numerous catapults to batter the city's defenses. In January 1260, Helagu's forces crossed the Euphrates and invested Aleppo. The city was defended by local garrisons under al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Turanshah, a son of Saladin. Mongol troops captured the city after a week-long siege, while the citadel held out for an additional month before surrendering.
Despite the fall of the city, Helagu allowed the surviving defenders to live, though the citadel was subsequently destroyed. Following the capture of Aleppo, the Mongols received the submission of nearby cities, including Harim, Hama, and Homs. Local rulers who submitted were either reinstated in their positions under Mongol oversight or replaced by Mongol-appointed officials.
The ensuing massacre, which lasted six days, was methodical and thorough, in which nearly all adult male Muslims and Jews were killed, though most of the women and children were sold into slavery. Also included in the destruction was the burning of the Great Mosque of Aleppo.
Following the siege, Hulagu had some of Hethum's troops executed for burning the mosque. Some sources state that Bohemond VI of Antioch (leader of the Franks) personally saw to the mosque's destruction. Later, Hulagu Khan restored to Hethum castles and districts which the Ayyubids had previously conquered from the Armenians. Also Ibrahim, the brother of Ibn Batish, was killed during the siege.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Siege of Aleppo (1260)”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.