A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic. At the height of its glory, Merv was the city all other cities in the world aspired to be. “Its markets are good.” Merchants from as far as India, Iraq and western China came here to trade.”. Discover Ancient Merv in Merv, Turkmenistan: This famed Silk Road oasis was one of the largest cities in the world before it was destroyed by a Mongol horde. At the time, Merv was part of the Seljuk Empire, ruled by Sultan Mohammed. Oldest fortification dating to Alexander the Great In the autumn of 1220, Genghis Khan captured Termiz on the Oxus River (present-day Amu Darya) and in the early part of the winter was active … On February 25, 1221, the Mongols arrived outside Merv’s gates. On February 25, 1221, the Mongols arrived outside Merv’s gates. Over its lifetime, Merv was a noted center of learning for Buddhists and Muslims, and it welcomed a mixed population of immigrants from all over Central Asia. In the campaigns between 1219 and 1221, the great cities (Otrar, Bukhara, Samarqand, Balkh, Gurganj, Merv, Nishapur and Herat) surrendered to the Mongol forces. Around 5,000 people were all that was left of the world’s largest city. Naturally, the Sultan ran away. Ögedei, Chagatai, and General Jochi overtake Urgench, a city in western Uzbekistan, while Tolui overtook Nishapur and Herat. While control of the city switched between the various empires of the region over its long history (it was even renamed Alexandria for a time after Alexander’s armies went through), it remained a jewel in the crown of Central Asia until its downward slide began. The origins of the city go back into the prehistoric ages, with some traces of habitation as far back as 3000 BC. The city’s walls ran in an oblong circuit of eight kilometers (five miles), interrupted by strong towers and four main gates and enclosing the entire city. Accounts from the time report that 400 craftspeople were taken prisoner, and between 700,000 and 1.3 million people were slain in one of the bloodiest massacres of the age. Merv was an advanced metropolis known for crucible steel, libraries, markets, and architectural wonders. At the height of its power in the 12th century, Merv was the largest city in the world. They took the wealthy people and beat them and tortured them with all sorts of cruelties in the search for wealth … Then they set fire to the city and burned the tomb of Sultan Sanjar and dug up his grave looking for money. It set trends not only in scientific and astronomical investigations, but in architecture, fashion and music. But in 1221 a Mongol army led by one of Genghis Khan’s sons — who was considered to be, by proxy, the great leader himself — showed up looking for blood. While control of the city switched between the various empires of the region over its long history (it was even renamed Alexandria for a time after Alexander’s armies went through), it remained a jewel in the crown of Central Asia until its downward slide began. “For its cleanliness, its good streets, the divisions of its buildings and quarters among the rivers …, “[Merv] is superior to the rest of the cities,” wrote the 10th-century Persian geographer and traveler al-Istakhri. In 1221 Merv opened its gates to Tolui, son of Genghis Khan, chief of the Mongols, on which occasion most of the inhabitants are said to have been butchered. Naturally, the Sultan ran away. Located in modern-day Turkmenistan, this Central Asian city was built on an oasis; prominently located on the Silk Road — putting it on one of the biggest trade routes of historic times. February 4 – The city of Nizhny Novgorod is founded by Grand Prince Yuri II of Vladimir. on the next day, 25 February 1221, the Mongols arrived before the gates of Merv. The next day Merv’s governor, Mujir-al-Mulk, believing his position was untenable, offered to surrender the city on the proviso that the lives of its people were spared. Merv was referred to as the “Queen of Cities”. Tolui's army evacuated Nishapur onto the plains. Now nothing was left of what was once the world’s largest city. In 1221 Merv opened it’s gates to the son of Genghis Khan, named Tolui. They took the wealthy people and beat them and tortured them with all sorts of cruelties in the search for wealth … Then they set fire to the city and burned the tomb of Sultan Sanjar and dug up his grave looking for money. He was eventually caught, but not until the Mongols rode through every city along the way, including Merv. The Arab historian Ibn al-Athir based an account of the event on reports of refugees from Merv: “Genghis Khan sat on a golden throne and ordered the troops who had been seized should be brought before him. It seemed like nothing could possibly go wrong for Merv the Great. The town willingly opened its gates after a day of tepid resistance. In 1221 Merv opened its gates to Tolui, son of Genghis Khan, chief of the Mongols, on which occasion most of the inhabitants are said to have been butchered. Source: Internet Archive Book Images At the time, Merv was part of the Seljuk Empire, ruled by Sultan Mohammed. They said, ‘These people have resisted us’ so they killed them all. Shiva is the God of Destruction; and here was Genghis Khan the greatest destroyer of all time. Then Genghis Khan ordered that the dead should be counted and there were around 700,000 corpses.”. The dome was so intensely blue that it is said it could be seen from a day’s journey away. They wanted Sultan Mohammed’s blood. Inside, the streets were mostly narrow and winding, crowded with closely built houses and occasional larger structures like mosques, schools, libraries and bathhouses. The town willingly opened its gates after a day of tepid resistance. “The fruits of Merv are finer than those of any other place,” wrote a 10th-century Arab chronicler, “and in no other city are to be seen such palaces and groves, and gardens and streams.”. At the height of its power in the 12th century, Merv was the largest city in the world. Coming Soon. The geography of the Zend-Avesta (commentaries on the Avesta) mentions Merv (under the name of Mouru) along with Balkh. At the height of its glory, Merv was the city all other cities in the world aspired to be. In the 12th Century, Merv was ruled by an Islamic empire but was home to people of all kinds. Tolui, (Classic Mongolian: ᠲᠥᠯᠦᠢ Toluy, Tului, (), Tolui Khan (meaning the Khan Tolui)) (1192–1232) was the youngest son of Genghis Khan by his chief khatun Börte. In Zoroastrianism, the god Ahura Mazda is said to have created Merv (referred to as Mouru) as one of sixteen perfect lands. Now, you’ll remember that at the time the population of Merv was “only” around half a million, so where did all those other people come from? When they were in front of him, they were executed and the people looked on and wept. Guangzhou Delun Boldog 0 1000 km Hangzou Kaifeng Beijing Karakorum Ningxia Dunhuang Hotan Yarkand Kashgar Kabul Ghazni Herāt Shiraz Baghdad Ray Nishapur Tous Urgench Otrar Tabriz Tbilisi Soldaia (Sudak) Kiev Novgorod Southern Song Dynasty Jin Dynasty Korea Western Tibet Russian Principalities Volga Bulgaria Georgia Khwarezmian Empire Khanate Naimans Kyrgyz Merkits Keraits … As noted earlier, Genghis Khan's Mongolian armies, led by his youngest son, invaded Merv in 1221, about 50 years after this was built, and so the Sultan's body was secretly moved to another location. . It was perched on an oasis and one of the world's largest trade routes of the time-how could Genghis Khan not help but notice it? Known as the “Queen of Cities,” it is estimated that in 1150 Merv was the largest city in the world, with a population of over half a million people. Diplomacy failed, badly, and a number of Mongol emissaries and traders were killed. That’s how the Mongols found 700,000 people there to kill. It was a memorable day for shrieking and weeping and wailing. Merv was an advanced metropolis known for crucible steel, libraries, markets, and architectural wonders (they even had year-round “ice houses” to store fresh ice). Merv became one of the most important Muslim cities in the world. The city’s walls ran in an oblong circuit of eight kilometers (five miles), interrupted by strong towers and four main gates and enclosing the entire city. Basically when the son of Genghis Khan came, he wiped out 1 million of the population and essentially wiped out the entire city. At the height of its power in the 12th century, Merv was the largest city in the world. Due to its long and rich history, Merv was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. The Majan canal ran up the middle of the city to Merv’s central mosque and the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, a large, square-shaped building rung with fine arches, capped by a dome sheathed in turquoise-glazed tile. Following the siege, Genghis Khan continued his pursuit of Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu into India. It set trends not only in scientific and astronomical investigations, but in architecture, fashion and music. Knowing the accomplishments of Merv, one can only wonder how different our world might be if the Mongols had never stopped by on those fateful days nearly 800 years ago. As we face some pretty brutal climate changes, let’s hope we find a better way to reduce CO2 emissions. That’s how the Mongols found 700,000 people there to kill. Located in modern-day Turkmenistan, this Central Asian city was built on an oasis; prominently located on the Silk Road, putting it on one of the biggest trade routes of historic times. That’s so many people dead, that according to a study by the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Department of Global Energy, the destruction under Genghis Khan may have scrubbed as much as 700 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere by allowing forests to regrow on previously populated and cultivated land. Of course, Merv learned the hard way that if the Mongols had a grudge against you, surrender just made dying faster. They wanted Sultan Mohammed’s blood. Merv proved an attractive prize for the Mongols and in AD 1221, Tolui (son of Genghis Khan) is said to have slaughtered the inhabitants. He was eventually caught, but not until the Mongols rode through every city along the way, including Merv. When it came to the common people, they separated men, women, children and possessions. Archaeological evidence in the northern part of the oasis shows extensive remains of village and urban life going back into the prehistoric ages, with some traces of habitation as far back as 3000 BC, but the actual city of Merv appears to have been founded by Cyrus the Great in the 6th Century. As if in retribution, Genghis Khan razed Ghazni to the ground killing everyone in that place. Genghis Khan is undeniably one of them and when we say that he left his mark in our world this is not an exaggeration since it is estimated that one in two hundred men is his direct descendant (0 , 5% of the population). February 1221– The oasis city of Merv on the Silk Road is sacked by the Mongols under Tolui, at the orders of Genghis Khan. Yaqut al-Hamawi was forced to flee the libraries of Merv as the armies of Genghis Khan’s son Tolui advanced upon the city. During the Mongol conquests of the 13th Century, it is estimated that between 5 and 10% of the whole world’s population were killed. He ordered the total massacres of Nishapur and Merv. Lost cities #5: how the magnificent city of Merv was razed – and never recovered, 11 percent world population killed in Mongol conquests of 13th century, The 65 Best Travel Spots of Instagram’s Hottest Travel Influencers, The Woman Who Survived a 10,000 Foot Fall, Why We Need to Stop Telling Women to Smile. Historians figure they were refugees fleeing before Mongol advance in the vain hope of finding safety at Merv. February – The oasis city of Merv on the Silk Road is sacked by the Mongols under Tolui, at the orders of Genghis Khan.
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