Atlas of Battles

siege, major, medieval

Siege of Bukhara (1220)

Siege of Bukhara (1220) was a siege conducted in January 1220 at Bukhara, in what is now Uzbekistan. It was part of the Mongol invasion of Khwarazmian Empire and Eastern Iran, which ran from 1219 to 1221. The recorded result: Mongol victory. Recorded strength: Modern estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000 against Modern estimates range from 2,000 to 20,000.

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FoughtJanuary 1220
WhereBukhara, Uzbekistan39.778N, 64.410E
OutcomeMongol victory
BelligerentsMongol EmpireagainstKhwarazmian Empire
Casualties and lossesUnknownandMost of the garrison
Part ofMongol invasion of Khwarazmian Empire and Eastern Iran1219 to 1221

Where it sits in the Mongol invasion of Khwarazmian Empire and Eastern Iran

Irghiz River skirmish, 1209Otrar Catastrophe, 1219Siege of Samarkand, 1220Siege of Khujand, 1220Siege of of Ray, 1220Siege of Bukhara (1220), 1220Siege of Gurganj, 1220Siege of Nishapur, 1220Battle of Parwan, 1221Siege of Taliqan, 1221Siege of Herat, 1221Siege of Termez, 1221Siege of Ustunavand, 1221Sack of Balkh, 1221Siege of Merv, 1221Siege of Jand, 1221Siege of Bamyan, 1221Battle of Indus, 1221Siege of Ghazni, 122212091222Siege of Bukhara (1220), 1220
19 placed engagements of the Mongol invasion of Khwarazmian Empire and Eastern Iran in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateJanuary 1220 (month precision)
PlaceBukhara, Uzbekistan
39.778N, 64.410E
KindSiege, medieval
StrengthModern estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000Modern estimates range from 2,000 to 20,000
Casualties and lossesUnknownMost of the garrison
Commanders
Siege of Bukhara (1220)Siege of Bukhara (1220)Battle of Gol-ZarriunBattle of BaykandSiege of KamarjaBattle of BaykandSiege of KamarjaTürkmenabatQarshiNavoi100 km39.778N, 64.410E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Bukhara (1220)
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Bukhara (1220) today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-10. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 244 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 214 to 248 m, 33 m of relief, flat country and today it is 80% built-up, 17% cropland.

built-up: 80%cropland: 17%built-up 80%cropland 17%
west to east, 10.0 km223 to 248 mnorth to south, 10.0 km220 to 244 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1220

Siege of Bukhara (1220) is one of 590 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 40 in present-day Uzbekistan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q110970851, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Bukhara, revision 1382470514, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.