The history of the Tartar invasion and their rule of Iraq is covered in a book written by the Egyptian historian Rasheed Aldean Fathul Allah Al-Hamazani. The general message of the book is that the invading Tartar forces, on taking over Baghdad, tolerated the killing of the innocent, stealing, looting, kidnapping and all sorts of atrocities. Most of the buildings were destroyed or damaged, including mosques, graves and libraries.

Houlakou prepared for his invasion by secretly contacting members of the Baghdad army and buying their loyalty. This tactic facilitated the battles and enabled Houlakou to take over the ruler’s palace. He told the Caliph Al-Moutasem that he is now the host and they are the guests. He ordered him to hand over all the wealth of the country including the gold, the servants and the seven hundred women in his palace. One day, the Caliph was left hungry until he could not bear it any longer. Then Houlakou offered him a large plate full of gold and ordered him to eat it.

When he refused to eat the gold, Houlakou told the Caliph: “If you know that gold is not digestible, why did you treasure it rather than spending it on your troops so that they would have defended your throne from the invading forces?” The Caliph had no reply and considered it to be his kismet. Houlakou decided that his kismet was to order his troops to kill him. The Caliph was put in a sack and the soldiers kicked him until he was dead.

The fall of Baghdad at the hands of the Tartars ended the Abbasid dynasty, which had lasted for more than five centuries. This was one of the biggest catastrophes in the history of Islam, and its fall was felt with deep sadness across the Ummah (nation). At the time Baghdad was the center for knowledge, culture and art, frequented by scholars and students to learn and exchange Islamic knowledge and culture. Baghdad was renowned for its poets, philosophers and scholars. With the fall of Baghdad, no less than one thousand of them were killed and many fled. Museums, libraries and schools were burnt and their treasures stolen.

Rasheed Aldean summarizes his findings thus: “The fall of Baghdad was a tremendous catastrophe. It was a great loss of culture and knowledge. The glory of the Arabic language in the world of knowledge and culture was diminished by the Tartar invasion.”

An Arab writer, in a recent review of the book, expressed the view that the fault was not with the Tartars: They were invaders and destruction was part of their mission. The writer does not even hold the Caliph solely responsible. In his opinion the blame is with the citizens of the land and all the Arabs. If instead of fighting amongst themselves they had stood together, their unity would have deterred the invader.