Siege of Bamyan (1221)

The 1221 siege of Bamyan by the Mongol Empire under the leadership of Genghis Khan occurred in what is now Bamyan, Afghanistan.

Background
The siege occurred while the Mongols were pursuing Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, the last ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire, and his newly raised forces in Afghanistan.

The name of the last ruler of the Khawarzam Empire was Jilaludin Mohammad Khawarazam Shah.

Siege
During the siege Mutukan (Mö'etüken), son of Chagatai Khan and grandson of Genghis Khan, was killed in battle by an arrow from the besieged walls. This death, compounded by the heavy casualties sustained by his forces during the siege and the realization of his own mortality, angered Genghis to the extent that once he captured Bamiyan he completely destroyed it and killed its entire and surrounding regions population. The destruction was so complete that even the Mongols referred to Bamiyan as "the city of sorrows", while another title was "city of noise (or screams)" - in reference to the cries of its murdered victims.

Aftermath
Following the siege, Genghis continued his pursuit of Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu into India. A common belief is that after the local population was wiped out, Genghis repopulated the area with some of his Mongol troops and their slave women, in order to guard the region while he continued his campaign. These settlers would become the ancestors of the Hazara people - with the word “Hazara” most likely derived from the Persian word “yek hezar” (“one thousand”), for the Mongol military unit of 1000 soldiers.