News of Hulagu and his campaigns through the book Brief History of States by Ibn al-Abri

Abstract

The book Mukhtasar al-Dawl by Ibn al-Abri, d. 685 AH / 1285 AD, is one of the important books in the study of the history of the Mongols, as the author was one of the figures who lived through the Mongol invasion of the countries of the Islamic East at the hands of Hulagu. He was chosen by Qan Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, to lead the campaign to eliminate Ismailism and control Persia. . He was known for his extreme strength and lack of prestige, which prompted the Qan to remove him from the capital. Hulagu's campaigns were accompanied by terrible human massacres, and he had no compassion for those who stood in his way. Hulagu Khan led the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258, leading to the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate. Where he recorded the historical events since Hulagu entered Baghdad and occupied the rest of the cities of Khorasan, the cities of the Levant, and the Euphrates Peninsula. Ibn al-Abri dealt with the events in a kind of brevity, and this matter is considered a new addition to the historical record in the seventh century AH and the thirteenth century AD. Hulagu was one of the most important Mongol figures, as he was the founder of the Ilkhanid state. Therefore, his life was full of many important events in the history of the Mongols since his crossing of the Oxus River. Until he arrived in Baghdad and overthrew the Abbasid Caliphate and killed the last Abbasid caliphs, after which he headed towards other cities to continue his way towards the cities of the Euphrates Peninsula, the Levant and Egypt.