The Mongol Siege of Baghdad: Science, Faith, and the End of an Age

In 1258, the Mongols under Hulagu Khan sacked Baghdad, then the intellectual and spiritual heart of the Islamic world. This episode explores the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate — a turning point that reshaped Eurasia. We follow the siege itself, from the caliph's miscalculations to the city's systematic destruction. But we also dig into what was lost: the House of Wisdom's manuscripts, the translation movements that preserved Greek philosophy, and the scholarly networks that connected Samarkand to Cordoba. Why did the Mongols spare the scholars? How did the devastation fuel later Mamluk and Ottoman resistance? And what if Baghdad had held — would the Renaissance have happened differently? Lucas and Luna examine primary sources like Ibn al-Athir's chronicles and the accounts of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, the Persian polymath who advised the Mongols. They also consider the role of the Nizari Ismailis, the 'Assassins', whose fortress of Alamut fell just before Baghdad. A story of empire, knowledge, and the fragility of civilization. #SiegeOfBaghdad1258 #HulaguKhan #AbbasidCaliphate #HouseOfWisdom #NasirAlDinAlTusi #Ilkhanate #MongolEmpire #HistoryOfScience #IslamicGoldenAge #NizariIsmailis #Alamut #MamlukSultanate #IbnAlAthir #MedievalBaghdad #CentralAsia #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #GenghisKhan #BatuKhan Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo