Surrender of Baghdad

Date: February 10, 1258 • Location: Al Jamaa, Iraq

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1258.

The last Abbasid caliph surrendered Baghdad to the besieging Mongol army of Hulegu Khan, who later sacked the city, killing hundreds of thousands of people.

The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third Islamic caliphate, ruled by the Abbasid dynasty. The dynasty was descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, after whom it is named. The Abbasids rose to power in 750, when the Abbasid revolution overthrew the preceding Umayyad Caliphate. They ruled as caliphs from their base in Iraq until 1258, with Baghdad as their capital for most of their history.