In this year, a general calamity and great disaster occurred due to Genghis Khan, who bore the name Temüjin. May Allah curse him and the Tatars who accompanied him. May He damn them all. What they did was truly very evil. They devastated everywhere, causing corruption in every place. They harmed every region they reached, from the farthest point of China to Iraq and its surroundings, eventually reaching Erbil and its districts. This year, they conquered the entire Islamic world except for Iraq, al-Jazira, Damascus, and Egypt, and destroyed all the peoples there, including the Khwarezmians, Kipchaks, Georgians, Lān, Khazars, and others. This year, they killed countless people in many cities among Muslim communities and others, so numerous that they cannot be counted or described. In summary, they killed all the warriors and men in every city they entered, most of the women and children, and if they needed the goods there, they plundered them; if not, they burned them.
They even gathered large amounts of silk they could barely carry, piled it up, and then set it on fire to watch it burn; they destroyed houses and burned those they could not demolish. Most of all, they burned mosques and masjids. They captured Muslims and fought with them, surrounding them in battle and killing those they could not overcome. In his work al-Kāmil, Ibn al-ʿAsīr has narrated in full detail what the Tatars did this year. Before this narration, he wrote a magnificent preface about this terrifying great event and disaster, as follows:
"This chapter speaks of a great event and terrible disaster unprecedented in nights and days. This calamity encompassed all creatures generally and Muslims specifically. If someone says that since Allah created the Prophet Adam, the world has never experienced such a calamity until now, he would be speaking the truth. Because in history, no calamity as dreadful as this has occurred. The greatest calamity most often mentioned is the massacre by Nebuchadnezzar (Buhtü'n-Nasr) of the Children of Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem. Jerusalem remains only a city compared to the towns destroyed by these cursed ones. Each town they burned is many times larger than Jerusalem. The number of Israelites killed by Nebuchadnezzar is much less than those killed by these people. The number of people they killed in a single city exceeds that of the Israelites.
Perhaps humanity will not witness such an event again until the world's end, except for Gog and Magog. As for the Antichrist (Deccal), he will remain only with those who follow him and will kill those who oppose him. But these left no one alive. On the contrary, they killed women, men, and children alike. They slit the bellies of pregnant women and killed the fetuses. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return (innā lillāh wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn). There is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great (lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil ʿaliyyil ʿaẓīm). Because of this event, whose sparks spread everywhere and whose harm was universal, only Allah's help can be sought. This calamity covered the Islamic lands like a cloud brought by the wind. The Tatars emerged from the farthest point of China and attacked Turkistan cities such as Kashgar and Balasagun.
From there, they moved to Samarkand, Bukhara, and other Mawarannahr cities. They conquered these places and inflicted upon their inhabitants the oppressions described above. Then some of them proceeded to Khorasan, seized power, devastated the country, killed the people, and plundered their goods. From there, they extended to Rey, Hamadan, Jabal, and towns near the borders of Iraq. Later, they attacked Azerbaijan and Urmia. They destroyed these places and killed most of the inhabitants; only a small group escaped. This unprecedented calamity and disaster occurred in less than a year. Then they went to the Derbend of Shirvan, conquered its cities, and except for the fortress in that region, all other places surrendered to them. The Tatars then proceeded to the Lān Lekez region, killing various groups there.
They committed massacres, destroyed everywhere, plundered goods, and then raided the Kipchak country, which had the largest Turkish population. They killed everyone who stood against them. Others fled to the forests. The Tatars took possession of their lands. Another group raided Ghazni and neighboring regions such as India, Sijistan, and Kirman. They inflicted harsher oppressions than the previous ones. This was an unprecedented calamity and disaster.
Regarding Alexander, whom historians agree possessed the world, he conquered his lands not in one year but over about ten years and did not kill anyone. On the contrary, he pleased people and secured their obedience. These, however, conquered many prosperous, beautiful, and populous cities with morally upright inhabitants within one year. The people of the lands they stepped on were in fear and terror, expecting their attacks at any moment. Nevertheless, the Tatars, when born, prostrated to the sun, considered nothing forbidden, and ate animals and carrion they found. May Allah curse them.
The Tatars were able to conquer so many countries because they encountered no resistance. Sultan Khwarezmshah Muhammad had killed many rulers and consolidated his authority. When he was defeated by the Tatars the previous year and lost the strength to resist them, the Tatars pursued and chased him. His whereabouts were unknown. He died on one of the islands in the sea. The country was left unprotected. Allah's decree always comes to pass, and affairs ultimately return to Allah.
After this, Ibn al-ʿAsīr begins to explain in detail the topics he summarized and first mentions the caravan sent with his own capital by Genghis Khan to bring clothes and fabrics. Since Khwarezmshah seized the goods of this caravan, Genghis Khan became angry and sent threatening messages. Khwarezmshah himself took action against them and dispatched his army. Seeing the Tatars fighting at Güçlükhan, he plundered their loads, belongings, women, and children, took captives, and returned. Thus, he achieved victory over his enemies, but the Tatars, his enemies, became even more enraged against him. The Tatars under the command of Genghis Khan's son fought Khwarezmshah for three days, with many men killed on both sides.
Then both sides withdrew. Khwarezmshah returned to his country's border, fortified and protected it, and then returned to his capital, Khwarezm. Genghis Khan also moved. As mentioned earlier, he came to Bukhara, conquered it by peaceful means, but betrayed the people. He captured the fortress by force, killed all the soldiers inside, plundered goods, took women and children captive, destroyed houses and shops. There were 20,000 warriors in the fortress, but they were of no benefit to the fortress inhabitants. After this, Genghis Khan marched to Samarkand, besieged it at the beginning of Muharram of this year. There were 50,000 soldiers there who retreated. 70,000 people from the populace confronted the Tatars, and Genghis Khan killed them all at once. Another 50,000 confronted him again.
He plundered their goods, weapons, and all their defensive equipment. On the same day, he killed them all. He left the city to his soldiers for plunder, killed everyone, took goods as spoils, captured women and children, and set the city on fire.
He razed it to the ground. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return (innā lillāh wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn). The accursed Genghis Khan resided there. He sent detachments to various cities. One detachment was sent to Khorasan, known as the Maghribi Tatars. Another detachment was sent after Khwarezmshah. These were 20,000 soldiers. He ordered them: "Follow and pursue him; catch him even if he ascends to the sky!" The soldiers pursued Khwarezmshah. When they reached him, Khwarezmshah had crossed the Jeyhun River. The river was between him and the Tatars, so he felt safe. The Tatars could not find boats to cross the river. They made basin-like containers to carry weapons in the river. They released their horses into the river and tied these containers to their tails.
While the horses swam in the river, they pulled the weapon containers tied to their tails behind them. Thus, they all reached the opposite bank. Khwarezmshah was unaware of this. He was astonished to see the Tatars among his own soldiers. Seeing this, he immediately fled to Nishapur and then to other cities. The Tatars pursued and chased him. Khwarezmshah was gathering soldiers to resist them. Wherever he went to gather soldiers, they reached him, and he fled in fear. Finally, he threw himself into the Caspian Sea. He went to a fortress on one of the islands there and died in that fortress. According to another report, after being thrown into the sea, where he went, what happened to him, and where he fled are unknown. After his disappearance or, according to another report, after his death, the Tatars seized his property and possessions.
They found 20,000,000 dinars in his treasury, 1,000 loads of atlas silk, 20,000 horses and mules, many slaves, concubines, and tents. He had 10,000 slaves, each like a king. All this wealth and property was utterly destroyed.
Khwarezmshah was a faqīh of the Hanafi madhhab and a virtuous person. He had knowledge of various sciences, good understanding, and intelligence. He ruled over vast regions and many countries. He reigned for twenty-one years and several months. After the Seljuk rulers, there was no other ruler as respected and magnificent as him. Because his goal was not to indulge in pleasures and lusts but to govern the country. For this reason, he defeated all the rulers in those regions and dealt severe blows to the Khitans. In Khorasan, Mawarannahr, Persian Iraq, and other countries, no other sultan remained besides him. All the cities were under the administration of his governors. After this, the Tatars marched to Mazandaran. The Mazandaran fortress was one of the most fortified. Muslims had only been able to conquer it during the time of Sulayman b. ʿAbd al-Malik in the ninetieth year of the Hijra. The Tatars conquered it very quickly, plundered the goods and belongings inside, killed all the inhabitants, took women and children captive, and set the fortress on fire. After Mazandaran, they went towards Rey. On the way, they saw Khwarezmshah's mother, who had a large amount of goods and money. They seized her property and belongings, which included unprecedented, very fine jewels and precious items. Then they headed to Rey. They entered the city when the people were unaware, killed the inhabitants, and took women and children captive. Then they marched to Hamadan, which they also conquered. After Hamadan, they went to Zanjan, killing some of the people and taking others captive. From Zanjan, they marched to Qazvin.
They plundered it and killed about 40,000 people. Then they went to Azerbaijan. The ruler of Azerbaijan, ʿUzbak b. Pahlivan, being immersed in drunkenness, forbidden acts, sins, and lusts, made peace with them by giving some goods and money. The Tatars left him alone. From there, they marched to Mugan. The Georgians confronted them with 10,000 warriors but were defeated in a battle so brief it was like the blink of an eye. The Georgians had come to fight with all their equipment and weapons. The Tatars defeated them a second time, which was a more terrible defeat than the first.
It was observed that the Tatars committed unprecedented events in the past and present. That is:
A group of Tatars emerged from China, and within a year, some of them reached Armenian lands. Another group coming from the Hamadan region crossed Iraq! I swear by Allah that generations coming after us, after a long time has passed, will be astonished when they see what the Tatars did written in books and will believe it is not true and be justified in not believing it. No matter how long the time passes, let them believe this; because we historians have all unanimously written this event that happened in our time in our books. Scholars and ignorant alike have agreed that this Tatar event is a well-known reality. May Allah grant protection and success to Islam and Muslims. Muslims truly fought great defensive battles against the enemy. Some Islamic rulers also exerted extraordinary efforts. However, during these events, Muslims lost Sultan Khwarezmshah as well.
At the end of this year, the Tatars were in the land of the Georgians. Seeing that the Georgians resisted and fought, they realized the matter would be prolonged and turned to other countries. Such is their custom. They left Georgia and went to Tabriz. The people of Tabriz made peace with the Tatars by giving some goods and money. After this, the Tatars marched to Maragha, besieged it, and bombarded the city with mangonels. They captured Muslim captives and used them as shields. A woman governor was in charge of Maragha. "A people who appoint a woman as their ruler will not prosper." After a siege of a few days, the Tatars conquered the city. They killed as many of the people as only Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, knows. They plundered a great amount of goods. As usual, they also took some of the people captive. May Allah curse them with a curse that will cast them into the fire of Hell.
People were very afraid of them. So much so that if a Tatar man entered a street in Maragha where 100 people were present, not one of those 100 would dare to act against him, and that Tatar soldier would kill those 100 one by one. None could raise a hand against him. He alone plundered all the belongings in that neighborhood and street.
A Tatar woman disguised as a man entered a house and killed all the inhabitants alone. Then one of the captives with her realized she was a woman and killed her. May Allah's curse be upon her.
Then the Tatars attacked the city of Erbil. They pressured the Muslims greatly. Because of this, the Muslims were very anxious. The people of those regions said, "Indeed, this is a very difficult situation."
The Caliph wrote a letter to the people of Mosul and to Malik Ashraf, the governor of al-Jazira, saying, "I have prepared soldiers against the Tatars. Move out with these soldiers to fight the Tatars." However, Malik Ashraf wrote back to the Caliph, explaining that he was heading to Egypt to assist his brother Kamil because the Muslims in Egypt were troubled by the Crusaders. He apologized. He stated that the Crusaders had captured Damietta and were moving to conquer all of Egypt. Malik Ashraf's brother Muazzam also went to the governor of Harran to ask for help for his brother Kamil in Egypt to expel the Crusaders in Damietta. The governor of Harran was already preparing to go to Egypt.
Upon this, the Caliph wrote to Muzaffar al-Din, the governor of Erbil, asking him to lead the army of 10,000 warriors mobilized against the Tatars. However, 800 cavalrymen of this 10,000-strong army separated on the way before reaching Malik Muzaffar al-Din and each went their own way. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return (innā lillāh wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn). But the Almighty Allah decreed the Tatars to turn towards Hamadan and saved the Muslims from this calamity, and the people of Hamadan made a peace treaty with the Tatars. Thereupon, the Tatars left a shahna (security chief) in Hamadan. Later, the people of Hamadan conspired to kill their shahna and killed him. When the Tatars heard this, they returned, besieged Hamadan, and finally conquered the city by force. They killed its inhabitants. Then they marched towards Azerbaijan. They conquered Ardabil first, then Tabriz, and later Büikan. They killed most of the people there and burned the city. The cruel Tatars first raped the women, then killed them and extracted the fetuses from their wombs. May Allah's curse be upon them.
After this, the Tatars raided Georgia. The Georgians were prepared and fought. However, the Tatars inflicted a terrible defeat on the Georgians. Then they conquered a few more towns. They killed the inhabitants of these towns and took the women captive. While fighting to conquer fortresses, they also took some men captive to use as shields in front of them, protecting themselves from arrows and spears. At the end of the battle, these male captives used as shields were killed if they had not died already. After this, they marched to the land of Lān, attacked the Kipchaks, killed many men, and defeated them. They besieged and conquered Sevadik, the largest of the Kipchak cities. They plundered many goods and possessions there. The Kipchaks fled to Russian lands. The Russians were Christians. They allied with the Russians to fight the Tatars. This allied front fought the Tatars. After the Tatars inflicted a terrible defeat on them as well, they marched towards Balkar in the year 620 of the Hijra. After completing all these conquests, the rulers returned to Genghis Khan. May Allah curse him and them.
Genghis Khan sent a detachment to Kulane this year. He sent a third detachment to the Fergana region, which conquered Fergana. He also sent another detachment to Khorasan. They besieged the city of Balkh; the city's people made a peace treaty with the Tatars. The Tatars similarly made agreements with many other city peoples, bringing them under their control, and finally reached Talikan. The fortress of Talikan was a strong fortress and tired them. They besieged it for six months but could not conquer it and reported this to Genghis Khan by letter. Genghis Khan himself came there, besieged the fortress for four months, and finally conquered it by force. Then he killed everyone among the elite and common people of the city.
After this, the Tatars, under Genghis Khan's command, attacked the city of Merv. Outside the city, about 200,000 warriors from the Arabs had camped. There were also Muslims from other peoples. They fought fiercely against the Tatars. Eventually, the Muslims were defeated. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return (innā lillāh wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn). Then the Tatars besieged the city for five days. They tricked the governor into leaving the fortress, then betrayed and killed him and the city's inhabitants. They plundered and looted their goods. They inflicted severe torment on the survivors. They killed 700,000 people in one day. Then they went to Nishapur, where they did the same to the inhabitants as in Merv. From there, they went to Tus, killed the people, and destroyed the resting place of ʿAlī b. Mūsā ar-Riḍā.
May Allah's peace be upon him and his ancestors. The Tatars also destroyed the tomb of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, turning it into ruins. Then they went to Ghazni. Jalal al-Din b. Khwarezmshah fought them and defeated them. Then the Tatars' rulers returned to Genghis Khan. May Allah curse him and them. Genghis Khan sent another military unit to the city of Khwarezm. This unit besieged Khwarezm and finally conquered the city by force. They killed most of the inhabitants, plundered their goods, took the survivors captive, and destroyed the bridge that prevented the floodwaters of the Jeyhun River from entering the city. When the bridge was destroyed, the city was flooded, and all the inhabitants perished. Then the Tatars returned to Genghis Khan, who was encamped in Talikan.
Genghis Khan sent some of his soldiers to Ghazni. When they arrived, Jalal al-Din b. Khwarezmshah fought them and defeated them, inflicting a terrible defeat. He rescued some of the Muslim captives held by them. Then he wrote to Genghis Khan, inviting him to come and fight him personally. Genghis Khan went there. However, some of Jalal al-Din's soldiers had left him. But fighting became inevitable. They fought for three days. Such a battle had never been seen before. Then Jalal al-Din's soldiers lost strength and retreated. They sailed to the Indian Ocean. The Tatars marched towards Ghazni and conquered the city easily and without difficulty. All these events or most of them occurred within this year.
This year, Ashraf Musa b. ʿAdil left the lands of Ahlat, Silvan, and Armenia to his brother Shihab al-Din Ghazi. In return, he took Urfa and Suruç from him. Because he was busy helping his brother Kamil against the Crusaders, he was not in a position to protect Ahlat, Silvan, and Armenia. May Allah curse the Crusaders.
In Muharram of this year, severe storms broke out in Baghdad, with lightning and thunder heard. Lightning struck the minaret adjacent to Avn and Muine on the western side of the city, causing cracks in the structure. These cracks were later repaired. A pit was also formed in the ground by the lightning.
This year, the Hanbali mihrab was established in the third riwaq on the western side of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Initially, the people opposed this. However, thanks to the support given to the Hanbalis by the emir Rukn al-Din al-Muʿazzam, this mihrab was established, and Sheikh Muwafaq al-Din b. Kudama led prayers there.
By the end of the 730th year of the Hijra, this mihrab was removed from its place, and another Hanbali mihrab was built on the western side of the mosque near Bab al-Ziyara. Indeed, during the rule of the Tenkizlīs, when the mosque's wall was renewed, the mihrabs on the western side were removed and replaced by a new mihrab east of Bab al-Ziyara. This was carried out by the mosque's supervisor Takiyy al-Din Ibn Marajil. May Allah increase his reward and recompense. This matter will be explained further later.
This year, the governor of Sinjar killed his brother. Malik Ashraf b. ʿAdil became the sole ruler of the country.
This year, Emir ʿImad al-Din b. Mashtup betrayed and acted hypocritically against Malik Ashraf. However, Malik Ashraf had previously protected and supported him when he wanted to pledge allegiance to Fa'iz against the torment of his brother Kamil. Later, ʿImad al-Din caused disorder in the Jazira regions, and Malik Ashraf imprisoned him. He died in prison under sorrow, grief, humiliation, and torture.
This year, Kamil inflicted a severe blow on the Crusaders who had invaded Damietta. He killed 10,000 of them and captured their horses and goods. Praise be to Allah.
This year, Muazzam dismissed Mu'tamid Mufāhir al-Din Ibrahim from the governorship of Damascus and appointed Aziz Halil in his place.
When the pilgrims went to Mecca—may Allah honor it—the Hajj emir was Mu'tamid. Thanks to his emirate, many blessings were obtained. Because after the slaves in Mecca killed the Hajj emir Akbash al-Nasiri from Iraq, he did not allow the pilgrims' goods to be plundered. Akbash al-Nasiri was one of the greatest commanders and close associates of Caliph Nasir. He had brought the robe of honor to Emir Husayn b. Abi Aziz Katada b. Idris b. Mutain b. Abd al-Karim al-Alawi al-Hasani az-Zaydi and the decree appointing him as the emir of Mecca after his father's death. His father had died in Jumada al-Awwal of this year. Regarding the emirate of Mecca, Katada's eldest son Rajih rebelled, saying, "No one but me can be appointed emir of Mecca." This caused turmoil and conflict. Akbash al-Nasiri was mistakenly killed in this turmoil. Katada was among the leading notables of the Husayni and Zaydi. He was just, fair, and generous to his friends. He did not allow the corrupt in Mecca to act freely and punished them. Then this situation reversed. He began to oppress, imposed taxes and fees again, and plundered the pilgrims several times. Therefore, Allah sent his son Hasan against him. Hasan killed him, his uncle, and his brother. But Allah did not give Hasan much opportunity. He took away his property and made him a vagabond wandering the lands. According to another report, he was also killed. Katada was tall, imposing, an old man who feared no caliph or ruler. He believed more than anyone else that he deserved the emirate. The caliph said, "I wish he would come to me so I could honor him," but he did not go to the caliph and strongly opposed it. He did not visit anyone, nor did he submit to any caliph or ruler. The caliph wrote to him many letters inviting him, and he replied with this poem:
"I have a lion's claw. With it, I seize people and humiliate them.
Among creatures, I trade with it.
The rulers of the earth kiss the upper part of that claw.
Inside it is spring for those suffering drought and famine.
Now should I put this claw under the millstone?
Then seek salvation?
If I do so, it means I am a fool.
But I am musk whose scent spreads everywhere.
Yet I would be lost among you."
Katada reached seventy years of age. Ibn al-ʿAsīr said he died in the year 618 of the Hijra. Allah knows best.