The Battle Arena of Sultan Muhammad Khwarazmshah and the Mongol Army

Regardless of the reasons that led to the Mongols’ invasion of Khwarazmshah’s kingdom, Khwarazmshah’s confrontation with the Mongol army needs to be investigated historically. The historical sources indicate that the Sultan encountered the Mongol army once upon fleeing their siege; however there is no clear historical evidence as to when and where the battle took place. Through a descriptive-analytical methodology and investigation of the meager amount of the historical evidence surrounding the confrontation between the Sultan and the Mongol army, the present article demonstrates the historical rapports of the Sultan’s confrontation with the Mongols army. Such a demonstration clarifies the qualities of the only battle he had with the Mongol army and points to a more concrete spatial and temporal anchor of the confrontation and its arena historically. The article shows that although the Sultan retreated, he was forced to confront the Mongol army in August, 1220 (Jumadi II 617 A.H.). By then, the army had caught up to the Sultan’s envoy. It is known as a historical fact that the Sultan fled the battle and left his army to be butchered by the Mongols. It needs to be emphasized that contrary to the scholarly claims of some researchers who believe that the battle took place in the Malayer Plain, the article will prove that it occurred in the Farahan Plain.