Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, medieval

Otrar Catastrophe

Otrar Catastrophe was a siege conducted in November 1219 at Otrar, in what is now Kazakhstan; it ran into the following year. 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: 50,000–75,000 against 5,000–15,000.

See it on the globe Read the article

Aerial view of Otrar, taken in August 2018. Author: Mikhail Gurulev (Михаил Гурулев) of Archaeological Expertise.
Aerial view of Otrar, taken in August 2018. Author: Mikhail Gurulev (Михаил Гурулев) of Archaeological Expertise.. Mikhail Gurulev (Михаил Гурулев), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtNovember 1219ran into the following year
WhereOtrar, Kazakhstan42.850N, 68.300E
OutcomeMongol victory
BelligerentsMongol EmpireagainstKhwarazmian Empire
Casualties and lossesMinimalandExtremely high
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, 122212091222Otrar Catastrophe, 1219
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

DateNovember 1219 (month precision)
to January 1220
PlaceOtrar, Kazakhstan
42.850N, 68.300E
KindSiege, medieval
Strength50,000–75,0005,000–15,000
Casualties and lossesMinimalExtremely high
Commanders
  • Inalchuq
Otrar CatastropheOtrar CatastropheShymkentTurkistanArysQaratauKentauLenger100 km42.850N, 68.300E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1219

Otrar Catastrophe is one of 590 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 17 in present-day Kazakhstan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q111943842, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Otrar Catastrophe, revision 1370701319, 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.