Battle Of Ain Jalut

Due to the fact that current Mongolia is hardly the same country as it once was, it is impossible to understand the menace that the Mongol Empire once posed. That wasn't the case, though, in the 13th century, when the Mongol war machine was at the height of its power and posed a threat to the security of virtually every nation on the Eurasian mainland, as well as perhaps beyond.

The Battle of Ain Jalut, fought in September 1260 between the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt and the south-western Mongol army stationed in Syria, had this historical setting. Cairo was the final Islamic bastion in the area after Aleppo and Baghdad fell to the Mongols in recent years, so it was a part of their bigger plan to conquer the Islamic world.

They were unaware of the Mamluks' true might, however, as they were able to employ the traditional Mongol strategy of feigned retreat better than the Mongols themselves. Despite the fact that the two forces were almost equal in size, the fight led to the total destruction of practically the entire Mongol presence in the area. It was the first significant Mongol defeat in south-west Asia, which boosted the confidence of neighboring Islamic nations and largely put a stop to the Mongols' Westward expansion.

Date: 3 September 1260 (26 Ramadan 658 H)
Location: Near Ayn Jalut, Galilee, Israel
Result: Mamluk victory

Territorial changes: Territories captured by the Mongols are returned to the Egyptians.