Key Facts
- Siege start date
- December 23, 1312
- Siege end date
- January 26, 1313
- Defecting Mamluks to Ilkhanate
- 600
- Mongol march rate
- 9 miles per day
- Mongol departure city
- Mosul, October 1312
Strategic Narrative Overview
The Mongol army departed Mosul in October 1312, advancing slowly at nine miles per day. Mamluk spies in Baghdad alerted the sultan, allowing al-Rahba Castle to be fully provisioned and garrisoned under commander Ibn al-Azkashi. The Mongols reached al-Rahba on December 23 and launched repeated assaults. The well-prepared Mamluk garrison repelled each attack, inflicting heavy Mongol casualties, while the besiegers exhausted their food and fodder supplies.
01 / The Origins
In 1312, Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad purged Syrian emirs who had helped him rise to power, creating 46 new loyalist emirs. Two surviving emirs, Qaransunqur of Damascus and Aqqush al-Afram of Tripoli, fled to the Ilkhanate with 600 Mamluks and persuaded Ilkhanate ruler Öljaitü to launch a military campaign against the Mamluk Sultanate, providing the immediate political pretext for the invasion.
03 / The Outcome
The Mongols lifted the siege on January 26, 1313, abandoning all siege equipment, which the Mamluk garrison seized. The Ilkhanate never launched another military campaign against the Mamluks, shifting instead to diplomacy. Öljaitü's failure reflected broader Ilkhanate decline: economic deterioration, administrative fragmentation, and his own deteriorating health before his death in December 1316.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Öljaitü, Qaransunqur, Aqqush al-Afram.
Side B
1 belligerent
Ibn al-Azkashi, Al-Nasir Muhammad.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.