Mongol Invasions & Aftermath
The Mongol invasions devastated the Islamic world and Kurdish lands alike. Hulagu Khan's forces sacked Baghdad in 1258, killing the last Abbasid caliph and destroying the House of Wisdom. Kurdish regions suffered tremendous destruction, with entire cities and populations displaced. In the late 14th century, the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) brought a second wave of devastation, subjecting many Kurdish principalities to his iron rule and leaving behind pyramids of skulls. Yet the Kurdish mountain peoples proved resilient. By 1450, much of Kurdistan was nominally under the rival Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) and White Sheep Turkmen (Aq Qoyunlu) confederations, but Kurdish noble houses and tribal chieftains were allowed to govern their own affairs provided they remained loyal. This period of recovery set the stage for the great confrontation between the Ottoman and Safavid empires that would define Kurdish destiny for centuries.
Key Events
- Mongol forces under Hulagu Khan sack Baghdad, ending the Abbasid Caliphate (1258)
- Erbil besieged by Mongols; the citadel holds out but the lower city is devastated (1258-1259)
- Hulagu establishes the Ilkhanate, ruling Iran and Iraq for 80 years (~1256-1335)
- Kurdish mountain regions face destruction but maintain tribal structures
- Timur (Tamerlane) invades Kurdistan, subjecting many principalities (~1380s-1400s)
- Timur's campaigns leave devastation across Kurdish lands, destroying cities and populations
- Black Sheep Turkmen (Qara Qoyunlu) control parts of Kurdistan (~1375-1468)
- White Sheep Turkmen (Aq Qoyunlu) succeed them, allowing Kurdish local autonomy (~1378-1508)
- Kurdish noble houses govern their own affairs under Turkmen overlordship
- Ottoman Empire emerges as a major power, conquering Constantinople (1453)
- Safavid order grows in Ardabil, preparing to transform Iran into a Shia state
Key Figures
Mongol ruler and grandson of Genghis Khan who destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate, sacked Baghdad (1258), and established the Ilkhanate over Iran and Iraq.
Turco-Mongol conqueror (1336-1405) whose devastating campaigns across Kurdistan in the late 14th century destroyed cities and populations, though Kurdish mountain strongholds proved more resilient.
Leader of the Aq Qoyunlu (White Sheep Turkmen) confederation (r. 1453-1478) who allowed Kurdish tribal chiefs to govern their own territories as vassals.