Siege of Bukhara (1220)

Overview

The siege of Bukhara took place in February 1220, during the Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire. Genghis Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire, had launched a multi-pronged assault on the Khwarazmian Empire ruled by Shah Muhammad II. While the Shah planned to defend his major cities individually, the Mongols laid siege to the border town of Otrar, and struck further into Khwarazmia.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The siege of Bukhara in February 1220 formed part of Genghis Khan's multi-pronged offensive against the Khwarazmian Empire during the 1219–1221 invasion. Rather than meeting the Mongol advance at the frontier, Shah Muhammad II had committed to defending his major cities individually, a disposition the Mongol campaign was structured to exploit. While Mongol forces simultaneously laid siege to the border town of Otrar, Genghis Khan and Tolui pressed deeper into Khwarazmian territory, bringing a reported 30,000 troops against a garrison of only 2,000 at Bukhara. The concentration of Mongol force against an isolated and vastly outnumbered defender illustrated the strategic logic of the multi-front assault: by stretching Khwarazmian resources across dispersed strongholds, the Mongols could achieve local superiority at each point. Bukhara's fall was a significant step in the dismemberment of the Khwarazmian state during this campaign.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)