Battle of Marj al-Saffar

The Battle of Marj al-Suffar, also known as the Battle of Shaqhab, took place on April 20 through April 22, 1303 between the Mamluks and the Mongols near Kiswe, Syria, just south of Damascus. The battle, a disastrous defeat for the Mongols, put an end to Ghazan Khan's invasions of Syria. According to the medieval Egyptian historian Al-Maqrizi, when Qutlugh-Shah reached Ghazan Khan at Kushuf after the battle to inform him of the defeat of the Mong... more

The Battle of Marj al-Suffar, also known as the Battle of Shaqhab, took place on April 20 through April 22, 1303 between the Mamluks and the Mongols near Kiswe, Syria, just south of Damascus. The battle, a disastrous defeat for the Mongols, put an end to Ghazan Khan's invasions of Syria. According to the medieval Egyptian historian Al-Maqrizi, when Qutlugh-Shah reached Ghazan Khan at Kushuf after the battle to inform him of the defeat of the Mongols, the Khan became wild with rage resulting in a hemorrhage in his nose. A string of Mongol victories, starting in 1218 when they invaded Khwarezm, quickly gave the Mongols control over Persia as well as the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum of Asia Minor. In 1258, the Mongols sacked Baghdad (see Battle of Baghdad), followed in 1260 by the taking of Aleppo and Damascus. Later that same year, the Mongols experienced their first major defeat at the Battle of Ain Jalut, which eventually forced the Mongols out of Damascus and Aleppo and back across the... less