Hulegu's conquest of Persia

Timeline

1. 1253–1254Amu Darya–Khurasan line · KhurasanMöngke Khan ordered Hulegu to command the princes and thousands in a western expedition; Hulegu set out from the Mongolian plateau in 1253, passing through Central Asia southward into eastern Persia and Khurasan, preparing for the subsequent conquest of the Persian heartland.
2. 1256Alamut · GilanHulegu's army besieged and captured Alamut, the Nizari Ismaili stronghold; the last imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah surrendered and was executed, the Assassin state fell, and the Mongols thereby established control over the core of the Iranian plateau.
3. 1258Baghdad · MesopotamiaHulegu's army besieged and captured Baghdad, capital of the Abbasid dynasty; the last caliph al-Musta'sim was killed, Mesopotamia was brought under Mongol rule, and the Persian-Iraqi campaign reached its climax, laying the foundation for Ilkhanate rule in West Asia.