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End of the Abbasid Caliphate

Type Event Region West Asia Time 1258

In 1258 the Mongol Hulegu besieged and captured Baghdad; the last caliph al-Musta'sim was captured and executed, ending the five-century-old Abbasid …

Timeline

  1. 1258Baghdad · MesopotamiaHulegu led a Mongol coalition westward from Iran, arriving before Baghdad in late January 1258, cutting the caliphate off from outside contact and besieging the Abbasid capital.
  2. 1258Baghdad · MesopotamiaAfter about a week of resistance the defenses collapsed; Mongol forces entered the inner city, carrying out large-scale looting and massacre in Baghdad. Institutions such as the House of Wisdom were destroyed, and the city's population and cultural heritage suffered grievous losses.
  3. 1258Baghdad · MesopotamiaCaliph al-Musta'sim was captured and executed; the central Abbasid caliphal regime, established with Baghdad as capital since 750, ended here. Though individual exiled caliphs later claimed the title, they could never restore former political authority.

Sources