Siege of Bamyan (1221)


The 1221 siege of Bamyan by the Mongol Empire under the leadership of Genghis Khan occurred in what is now the town of Bamyan in Afghanistan.

Background

The siege occurred while the Mongols were pursuing Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, the last ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire, and his newly raised forces in Afghanistan.

Siege

, son of Chagatai Khan and favourite grandson of Genghis Khan, was killed in battle by an arrow from the besieged walls. This death, compounded by the heavy casualties sustained by his forces during the siege and the realization of his own mortality, angered Genghis to the extent that once he captured Bamyan he completely destroyed it and massacred the population of the city and its surrounding region. The destruction was so complete that even the Mongols referred to Bamyan as "the City of Sorrows". Another title was "City of Noise," in reference to the cries of its murdered victims.

Aftermath

Following the siege, Genghis continued his pursuit of Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu into India.
A common belief, also held among many Hazara, is that after the local Afghan population was wiped out, Genghis repopulated the area with some of his Mongol troops and their slave women, in order to guard the region while he continued his campaign. These settlers would become the ancestors of the Hazara people - with the word “Hazara” most likely derived from the Persian word “yak hazar”, for the Mongol military unit of 1000 soldiers.