AD 1250-1500 Later Islamic

The late medieval period in western Asia was dominated by the arrival of the Mongols, nomads from Mongolia in the northern steppes of Inner Asia. The Mongols radically altered the political, artistic and social environment of the area as a result of their brutal campaigns against local rulers.

A series of raids from AD 1220-1258 in Transoxiania, Iran, and Iraq, originally commanded by Ghengiz Khan and later by members of his family, brought destruction to the area on a scale never experienced before. Cities were destroyed and large segments of the population were massacred. The 500-year-old Abbasid caliphate was brought to an end by the Mongol invasion, and the assassination of the last caliph in 1258. Huge areas of north-east Iran and central Asia were depopulated and refugees fled west towards Syria and Egypt.

The Mongol dynasty, the Ilkhanids, was established in Baghdad, ruling Iraq, Iran and Anatolia. These lands became linked to the vast Mongol empire extending from Korea to eastern Germany, with the centre of power at Karakorum and later Beijing. Peace prevailed over much of the area following the conquest due to the harsh punishments lawbreakers received. A new era of relations between East and West enabled travellers such as Marco Polo to venture into territory previously unexplored by Europeans.