Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, early modern

Capture of Baghdad (1638)

Capture of Baghdad (1638) was a siege conducted on 15 November 1638 at Baghdad, in what is now Iraq; it lasted 40 days. It was part of the Ottoman–Safavid War, which ran from 1623 to 1639. The recorded result: Ottoman victory.

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IdentificatieTitel(s): Verovering van Bagdad door de Turken, 1638Objecttype: prent boekillustratie historieprent Objectnummer: RP-P-1896-A-19368-1955Catalogusreferentie: Van Eeghen 2762Opschriften / M
IdentificatieTitel(s): Verovering van Bagdad door de Turken, 1638Objecttype: prent boekillustratie historieprent Objectnummer: RP-P-1896-A-19368-1955Catalogusreferentie: Van Eeghen 2762Opschriften / M. Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought15 November 1638lasted 40 days
WhereBaghdad, Iraq33.350N, 44.417E
OutcomeOttoman victory
BelligerentsSafavid EmpireagainstOttoman Empire
Casualties and losses20,000+ MassacredandHeavy
Part ofOttoman–Safavid War1623 to 1639

Where it sits in the Ottoman–Safavid War

Capture of Baghdad (1624), 1624Siege of Baghdad, 1625Battle of Kars, 1628Battle of Mihriban, 1630Battle of Çemhal, 1630Siege of Baghdad, 1630Siege of Van, 1633Battle of Kuskunkıran, 1633Capture of Tabriz, 1635Siege of Yerevan, 1635Siege of Kirkuk, 1635Siege of Yerevan, 1636Battle of Marivan, 1636Capture of Baghdad (1638), 163816241638Capture of Baghdad (1638), 1638
14 placed engagements of the Ottoman–Safavid War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date15 November 1638
to 25 December 1638
PlaceBaghdad, Iraq
33.350N, 44.417E
KindSiege, early modern
Territorial changeThe Ottomans re-capture Baghdad and re-establish Ottoman Iraq
Strength40,000 infantry; 211 fortified city towers; 100 cannons108,589 (35,000 infantry and 73,589 cavalry); 88,000 engaged; 200 cannons
Casualties and losses20,000+ MassacredHeavy; Most of the city residents were massacred by the Ottomans after the capture
Commanders
  • Bektash Mirimanidze
  • Murad IV
  • Tayyar Mehmed Pasha
  • Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Pasha
Capture of Baghdad (1638)Capture of Baghdad (1638)Capture of BaghdadSiege of Baghdad (1733)Siege of Baghdad (812-813)Siege of Baghdad (1157)1991 uprising in Saddam CityAl HillahKarbalaAl KutBaqubahAl FallujahQasr-e ShirinAl MusayyibMandali100 km33.350N, 44.417E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 12 times between AD 812 and 1991.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1638

Capture of Baghdad (1638) is one of 1,470 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 173 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q5036981, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Baghdad (1638), revision 1378917458, 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.