siege, medieval
Siege of Merv
Siege of Merv was a siege conducted in March 1221 at Merv, in what is now Turkmenistan. It was part of the Mongol invasion of Khwarazmian Empire and Eastern Iran, which ran from 1219 to 1221. The recorded result: Mongol victory.
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Record
| Date | March 1221 (month precision) | |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Merv, Turkmenistan 37.663N, 62.193E | |
| Part of | Mongol invasion of Khwarazmian Empire and Eastern Iran (1219 to 1221) | |
| Kind | Siege, medieval | |
| Result | Mongol victory | |
| Territorial change | Merv captured by the Mongol Empire | |
| Belligerents | Mongol Empire | Khwarazmian Empire |
| Commanders | Genghis Khan; Tolui | Dawud (governor) |
| Casualties and losses | Unknown | Heavy; 700,000–1,300,000 civilians killed |
Nearest engagements
- Battle of Dandanaqan 1040, 81 km
- Battle of Andkhud 1204, 271 km
- Battle of Baykand AD 729, 276 km
- Siege of Bukhara (1220) 1220, 304 km
- Battle of Gol-Zarriun AD 560, 304 km
In the same war
- Before: Siege of Herat 1221
- After: Siege of Bamyan June 1221
- All 13 engagements of Mongol invasion of Khwarazmian Empire and Eastern Iran
Elsewhere in 1221
- Battle of Uji Japan
- Siege of Tallinn Estonia
- Battle of Waliyan Afghanistan
Siege of Merv is one of 386 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 6 in present-day Turkmenistan.
Sources
Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q39081822, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Merv (1221), revision 1370743469, 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.