2021-02-08 Mon

Hulagu Khan was a Mongol ruler in Iran who founded the Il-Khanid dynasty and, as part of a Mongol program of subduing the Islamic world, seized and sacked Baghdad, the religious and cultural capital of Islam. Some historians consider that he did more than anyone else to destroy medieval Iranian culture.

Son of Tolui and the Karaite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of Ariq Boke, Mongke Khan, and Kublai Khan.

Hulagu's army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate of Persia, a precursor to the eventual Safavid dynasty, and then the modern state of Iran. Under Hulagu's leadership, the siege of Baghdad (1258) destroyed Baghdad's standing in the Islamic Golden Age and weakened Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluk Sultanate in Cairo and ended the Abbasid Dynasty.

Hulagu's conquests also opened Iran to both European influence from the west and Chinese influence from the east. His reign as the ruler of Ilkhanate was peaceful and tolerant of diversity. Depicted here is the coin of Hulagu khan with the symbol of a hare.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org