Hulagu Khan, also known as Hulagu, Hülegü or Hulegu (Хүлэгү, Khülegü; Chagatai/ - Halaku; Arabic:هولاكو; c. 1217 – 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia.
Son of Tolui and the Kerait princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan, and the brother of Arik Boke, Mongke and Kublai Khan. He was also the step-father of Absh Khatun. Hulagu's army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate of Persia. Under his leadership, the Mongols destroyed the two greatest centers of Islamic power, Baghdad in the year 1258, and Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluks in Cairo.
The Polos
Niccolò and Maffeo Polo reportedly travelled to the realm of Hulagu and stayed in the city of Bukhara, in modern day Uzbekistan, where the family lived and traded for three years from 1261 to 1264.
Notes
References
Boyle, J.A., (Editor). The Cambridge History of Iran: Volume 5, The Saljuq and Mongol Periods . Cambridge University Press; Reissue edition (January 1, 1968). . Perhaps the best overview of the history of the il-khanate. Covers politics, economics, religion, culture and the arts and sciences. Also has a section on the Isma'ilis, Hulagu's nemesis. Encyclopedia Iranica has scholar-reviewed articles on a wide range of Persian subjects, including Hulagu. Morgan, David. The Mongols. Blackwell Publishers; Reprint edition, April 1990. . Best for an overview of the wider context of medieval Mongol history and culture. Atwood, Christopher P. (2004). The Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire. Facts on File, Inc. .
Other websites
A long article about Hulagu's conquest of Baghdad, written by Ian Frazier, appeared in the April 25, 2005 issue of The New Yorker. An Osama bin Laden tape in which Osama bin Laden compares Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell to Hulagu and his attack on Baghdad. Dated November 12, 2002.