Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, medieval

Siege of Samarkand

Siege of Samarkand was a siege conducted in 1220 at Samarkand, 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: 50,000 troops against 30,000 Qanquli troops, 50,000 local forces, 20 war elephants.

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Stork nests on Tupchiboshi (Тупчибоши) madrasa in Bukhara. Early color photograph from Russia, created by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii as part of his work to document the Russian Empire from 1
Stork nests on Tupchiboshi (Тупчибоши) madrasa in Bukhara. Early color photograph from Russia, created by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii as part of his work to document the Russian Empire from 1. Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, digital rendering by Natalia Anatolevna Pekova, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1220
WhereSamarkand, Uzbekistan39.654N, 66.960E
OutcomeMongol victory
BelligerentsMongol EmpireagainstKhwarazmian Empire
Casualties and lossesUnknownand2,500,000 killed (Claim by Ata-Malik Juvayni; exaggerated)
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 Samarkand, 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

Date1220 (year precision)
PlaceSamarkand, Uzbekistan
39.654N, 66.960E
KindSiege, medieval
Strength50,000 troops30,000 Qanquli troops, 50,000 local forces, 20 war elephants
Casualties and lossesUnknown2,500,000 killed (Claim by Ata-Malik Juvayni; exaggerated)
Commanders
Siege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandBattle of QatwanSiege of SamarkandBattle of QatwanDushanbeShahrisabzQarshiJizzaxNavoiUroteppaKattaqorgonUrgut100 km39.654N, 66.960E
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 5 times between 1220 and 1868.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1220

Siege of Samarkand 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 Q7510363, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Samarkand (1220), revision 1382470633, 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.