THE MONGOL DESTRUCTION OF THE ABBASID CALIPHATE AND ITS HISTORICAL CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

This article is devoted to the analysis of one of the most significant political events in the history of the Middle East in the mid-thirteenth century—the Mongol conquest of Baghdad in 1258 and the consequent dissolution of the Abbasid Caliphate. The study examines the political, military, religious, and civilizational consequences of this event through a comprehensive approach. In addition, the role of this event within the system of international relations of the time, as well as its impact on subsequent historical developments, is analyzed from a scholarly perspective. Founded in the eighth century, the Abbasid Caliphate served for a long period as the political and religious center of the Islamic world. In particular, the city of Baghdad played a crucial role in the formation of the “Islamic Golden Age” as a center of science, culture, and trade. However, by the thirteenth century, the Caliphate began to lose its former power due to internal political weakening, economic difficulties, and a decline in military capacity. The weakening of central authority led to the increasing autonomy of provincial governors, political fragmentation, and the breakdown of the defense system. Under such complex historical conditions, the Mongol Empire pursued a policy of westward expansion. The army led by Hulagu advanced into the Middle East, initially conquering the territories of Iran and Iraq. In 1258, Baghdad was besieged and surrendered within a short period. The last Abbasid caliph, al-Mustaʿsim, was executed by the Mongols, thus bringing an end to a caliphate that had lasted for more than five centuries. The conquest of Baghdad was accompanied by widespread destruction. Numerous historical sources report mass killings of the city’s population, as well as the destruction of madrasas, mosques, and libraries. The destruction of the renowned “Bayt al-Hikma” (House of Wisdom), a major intellectual center, is symbolically interpreted as the decline of Islamic scientific and intellectual life. Many scholars regard this event as marking the end of the period of political and cultural centralization in Islamic civilization.