Jalal al-Din Manguberdi

In 1206 in Mongolia Temuchin founded a large Mongol state under the title Genghis Khan. He built a powerful army and conquered many lands. In 1219 Genghis Khan began a campaign against the state of the Khorezmshahs. The state was ruled by Sultan Ala al-Din Muhammad; he did not unite his forces but ordered each city to defend itself, which was a mistake. The Mongols took Bukhara, Samarkand and other cities one after another. Khorezm’s capital Urgench was fiercely defended; according to tradition the great thinker Najm al-Din Kubra inspired the defenders and joined the fighting himself; the fighting lasted about seven months and the city was taken in 1221, and Najm al-Din Kubra died. The sultan’s son Jalal al-Din Manguberdi (1198–1231) carried on the fight against the invaders. In 1221 he defeated the Mongols near Parwan in Afghanistan. After that Genghis Khan himself came with a large army. In November 1221 the decisive battle took place on the bank of the Indus: Jalal al-Din held out with a small force but was defeated and swam across the river. According to legend Genghis Khan admired his courage. Jalal al-Din continued the struggle until 1231 and died in the territory of today’s Turkey. His memory is honoured in the years of independence.