In 1219 Genghis Khan invaded the Khwarezmian Empire (which controlled Uzbekistan) after the governor of Otrar murdered his trade envoys. By early 1220 the Mongol army — estimated at 100,000–200,000 — reached Bukhara.
The siege and sack: - The garrison surrendered after three days. - Genghis reportedly entered the main mosque and said: "The hay is cut; give your horses fodder" — a command to loot. - The city was systematically plundered. Craftsmen and young men were drafted as forced labor; everyone else was killed or fled. - The entire urban fabric was burned. Mud-brick structures collapsed; only stone or brick foundations survived. - Population before: estimated 200,000–300,000. After: perhaps 30,000 survivors.
The Kalyan Minaret (built 1127) survived. The legend: Genghis looked up at its 46-metre height, tilted so far back his helmet fell off, and superstitiously decided anything that made him bow deserved to stand. Historians note more prosaically that stone minarets are fire-resistant and hard to demolish without gunpowder.
Bukhara recovered slowly over the next century. It was rebuilt under Timurid and then Shaybanid patronage, reaching its current architectural form between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Bukhara in photos
A short visual companion to this entry — photographs of Bukhara from our travel archive.
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