Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar

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Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar
Part of the Mongol Invasion of Syria (1299)

Victory of the Mongols (left) over the Mamluks (right) at the 1299 Battle of Homs (Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar).
Date December 22 – December 23, 1299
Location at Wadi al-Khazandar, north-east of Homs
Result Pyrrhic Mongol Victory
Belligerents
Ilkhanate, Georgia and Armenia Mamluks of Egypt
Commanders
Ghazan Khan Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad
Strength
60,000 Mongol troops, 40,000 Georgian and Armenian auxialliaries + 12,000 Maronite and Druze bowmen 20,000-30,000 Mamluks
Casualties and losses
5,000-14,000 Mongols 200-1,000 Mamluks (Army Routed)
v • d • e
The Mongol Invasions
v • d • e
Mongol invasions of Syria
Homs – 2nd Homs – Wadi al-Khazandar (3rd Homs) – Shaqhab

The Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar, was a Mongol victory over the Mamluks in 1299.

Contents

[edit] Background Information

In 1260, Hulagu Khan had invaded the Middle East all the way to Palestine. Before he could culminate his triumphs with an invasion of Egypt, he was called back to Mongolia. He left only 20,000 soldiers of an army numbering possibly 800,000 in the area. This army was defeated, and the Mongols were forced from Palestine and Syria after suffering further defeats. Hulegu returned with another force but his invasion was permanently delayed after his Muslim cousin Berke of the Golden Horde secretly allying with Mamluks began a civil war with him in Caucasus.

Further attempts to invade Palestine were either delayed by 'more pressing' engagements or were defeated by the Mamluks of Egypt. The Mamluks even went as far as to invade Lesser Armenia and Seljuk Anatolia (Mongol protectorates) and only left after a near defeat forced them back to Syria, even though the Mameluks won all the battles.

In 1299, nearly 20 years after the last Mongol defeat in Syria at the 2nd Battle of Homs, Ghazan Khan and an army of 60,000 Mongols and 40,000 Georgians and Armenians crossed the Euphrates river (the Mamluk-Ilkhanid border) and seized Aleppo. The Mongol army then proceeded southwards until they were only a few miles north of Homs in a battle line that was almost 10 miles wide.

The Sultan of Egypt who was in Syria at the time marched an army of 20,000-30,000 Mamluks northwards from Damascus until he met the Mongols two to three Arab farsakhs (6-9 miles) north-east of Homs at the Wadi al-Khazandar on the 22nd of December 1299 at 5 o'clock in the morning. The sun had already risen.

[edit] The Battle

The battle started with the Mamluk infantry charging the Mongols. At this time, the Mongol heavy cavalry charged at the Mamluks while Mongol archers stood behind their horses and peppered the Mamluks with arrows.

It seems that early on in the battle, the two forces ended up in hand to hand combat. The Mamluks were superior to the Mongols in close quarters fighting (as the Mongols general tactics in battle were based on the use of Cavalry Archers), hence the Mamluks were at an advantage although being purportedly outnumbered over 3 to 1.

Eventually in the afternoon of the battle, a rumour that the Mamluk right flank had been broken through by the Mongols circulated. It was unknown whether this was rumour was true as the Mamluk army (as well as the Sultan and historians) began to rout once hearing the rumour. Messages between sections of the army could take hours to reach the other side of the battlefield.

It was learnt, however, that the battle line of the Mamluks had purportedly held until the next day when both sides retreated.

[edit] Casualties

Mamluk sources state that only 200 Mamluk soldiers had been killed whilst Mongol casualties numbered 5,000-10,000. These figures can be considered suspicious when an important factor in the battle was the rumour that the right flank of the Mamluks had collapsed yet only 200 soldiers died during the entire battle.

Other sources cite Mongol casualties at 14,000 while Mamluk casualties were only 1,000.

So, although historically vague inconclusive due to the lack of reliable historians, the number of casualties seem to signify an Egyptian victory over the Mongols.

[edit] Aftermath

The Mamluk army fled southwards towards Damascus. However, en route they were constantly harassed by 12,000 Maronite and Druz bowmen who wanted independence of their homeland. Mongols followed them as far as Ghaza.

The Mongols (who had claimed a 'great victory') continued their march south until they reached Damascus. It was soon sacked and the citadel besieged. However, in 1300 the Mongols moved back across the Euphrates to face an invasion to the east by the Chagatai's.

There were no concerted Christian efforts to build on the Mongol victories and the Mamluks were soon in repossession of Syria and Palestine. Participation of the Georgian and Armenian troops in the campaign apparently was out of any context of the western Christian Crusades.

After the Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar the Mongols kept pushing into Syria. The Mongols were able to reach the outskirts of Damascus. However, in 1303 at the Battle of Shaqhab the Mongols were defeated by the Mamluks ending Mongol incursions into Syria

[edit] Sources