Tamerlane vs Baghdad: The Destruction of a Caliphate

Sultan Ahmad Jalayir, the Jalayirid ruler of Baghdad, repeatedly provoked Tamerlane by offering sanctuary to his enemies. In 1401, after years of patience, Timur marched on the city. The siege was brutal—towers, mines, and a wall of corpses—and the aftermath was even worse. This episode dives into the fall of Baghdad under the soles of Timur's horsemen, the strategic use of terror, and the ambiguous figure of Sultan Ahmad, who fled to the Mamluks and later to the Ottomans, stoking tensions that led to the Battle of Ankara. We also explore the fate of the Abbasid shadow caliph, the role of the Alawite community in the city's resistance, and how Timur justified his destruction with a blend of Genghisid Yassa and Islamic piety. A story of hubris, survival, and the fine line between mercy and annihilation. #Tamerlane #Timur #Baghdad1401 #Jalayirids #SultanAhmadJalayir #SiegeOfBaghdad #MamlukSultanate #AbbasidCaliph #Yassa #Chagatai #Alawites #BattleOfAnkara #OttomanEmpire #Zafarnama #IbnArabshah #MedievalWarfare #History #FexingoHistory #CentralAsia #MongolEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo