Other than the case of Altantuya, we know this place through the brutality of Genghis Khan. What he had done to distort world civilisation especially Islamic empires in the 12th century changed everything.
******A brief history of Mongols warfare that we never forget or forgive*****
Genghis Khan (1162–1227) was the founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history. His military campaigns were marked by extreme brutality, and his invasions had a devastating impact on the Islamic world, particularly in Central Asia, Persia, and the Middle East.
The Invasion of Khwarezmia (1219–1221)
The most infamous Mongol assault on the Islamic world was against the Khwarezmian Empire (in modern-day Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan).
What triggered the assault :The Khwarezmian Shah, Muhammad II, executed Mongol envoys and merchants, provoking Genghis Khan’s wrath.
The Mongols came and the destruction began unleashing the beast from the east.
Bukhara & Samarkand(major centers of Islamic learning) were sacked, with mass killings and enslavement.
Urgench :The Mongols diverted a river to flood the city after a prolonged siege.
Merv : One of the worst massacres—historians claim up to 1 million were killed.
The Khwarezmian Empire was completely annihilated. Trade routes like the Silk Road were disrupted. Many Islamic scholars, scientists, and artists were killed, setting back intellectual progress.
Ironically, Genghis Khan’s descendants (like the Ilkhanate in Persia and the Golden Horde in Russia) later converted to Islam and became patrons of Islamic culture. Timur (Tamerlane)**, a later Turco-Mongol conqueror, also claimed descent from Genghis Khan and repeated similar brutality in the 14th century.
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I sat quietly on the bus taking us from the airport to a restaurant in the city. The traffic was crazy as we were stuck in an endless jam for hours. The usual result of a city that couldn’t cope with a booming population driven by socioeconomic opportunity in the metropolitan. Not the thing that I like to ponder upon after travelling for thousands of miles.
But again I guess on this trip I will spend a lot of time sitting down in a bus or train. I had pain in the ass sitting on a plane for nine hours already. After the lunch and a chaotic drive to the hotel, I took the much needed time to sleep and rest. No mood to go exploring the city yet.
The hotel was okay, good and very comfortable. The space and comfort gave me a chance to think about the purpose of this trip to me. What am I looking for here? Would it worth thousands of my money that I spent? I need to find the joy treasured in between the frustrations and challenges in travelling. The comfort zone that I left back in Malaysia would be locked away, frozen in time for me to crave upon. Let the adventures begin.
