Sieges of Baghdad

Sieges of Baghdad
Date	812–813, 865–866, 946, 1157, 1258, 1401, 1534, 1624, 1638, 1917, 1941, 2003
Location	Baghdad, Iraq
Belligerents
Forces of Al-Ma'mun Al-Mu'tazz (Samarra) Buyid amirate of Iraq Abbasid Caliphate Ayyubid dynasty Timurid Empire Safavid Empire British Empire Iraqi Government Supported by:; United Kingdom United States; United Kingdom; (Air Support)	Forces of Al Amin Al-Musta'in (Baghdad) Hamdanid amirate of Mosul Seljuqs of Hamadan; Zengids of Mosul Mongol Empire Ilkhanate Persia Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Kingdom of Georgia Principality of Antioch Mongolian China Ottoman Empire Golden Square Supported by:; Germany Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Al-Ma'mun; Tahir ibn Husayn; Harthama ibn A'yan; Zuhayr ibn al-Musayyab al-Dabbi Abu Ahmad al-Muwaffaq; ,; Mu'izz al-Dawla; ; Ispahdost Al-Muqtafi Al-Musta'sim †; ; Sulaiman Shah †; Timur Tekkelu Muhammad Sultan Khan; Abbas I of Persia; Qrar Chay Khan; Bektas Khan Frederick Maude 'Abd al-Ilah; Taha al-Hashimi George W. Bush; Tommy Franks; Tony Blair; Brian Burridge	Al-Amin †; Abd al-Rahman ibn Jabala †; Muhammad ibn Yazid al-Muhallabi; al-Samarqandi Muhammad b. 'Abdallah; ; Bugha al-Sharabi; Abu 'l-Saj Dewdad Nasir al-Dawla; ; Muhammad II ibn Mahmud; Qutb ad-Din Mawdud of Mosul Hulagu Khan; Arghun; Baiju; Buqa-Temür; Sunitai; Kitbuga; Suleiman the Magnificent Murad IV; Hassan Pasha †; Bakersoo Bashi † Murat IV; Grand Vizier Tayyar Mehmet Pasha † Khalil Pasha Rashid Ali al-Gaylani; Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh; ; Fahmi Said; Mahmud Salman Saddam Hussein; Qusay Hussein; ; Ra'ad al-Hamdani
Strength
At least 19,000 7000+ unknown number of militias (including Ahdath, Ayyārs and Naffatuns) 50,000 300 troops still loyal to the Safavids and the city commander 40,000 infantry; 211 fortified city towers; 100 cannons I Corps; III Corps (50,000 men) Royal Guard 30,000	30,000 Seljuqs 120,000–150,000 Deserted Safavid troops and army that Suleiman brought in winter to Baghdad 35,000 infantry; 73,000 cavalry; 200 cannons; not in combat: 8,000 (lağımcı) miners and sappers; 24,000 (beldar) military laborers Sixth Army (25,000 men) 3rd Infantry Division; 1st Infantry Division; Independent Mechanized Brigade 45,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown Low Unknown 50,000 soldiers; 200,000–800,000 civilians (Western sources); 2,000,000 civilians (Arab sources) Entire garrison Unknown, but small 34 killed; 1 A-10 Thunderbolt II shot down; 2 M1 Abrams tanks destroyed; 17 unarmored vehicles destroyed	High Unknown but heavy Unknown but believed to be minimal High Over 9,000 taken prisoner 1,700–2,120 killed (Independent estimate); 2,320 killed (U.S. military estimate)

There have been at least 8 major sieges of Baghdad.

Abbasid caliphate[]

In 812, Caliph Al Ma'mun sent his general Tahir ibn Husayn to capture Baghdad and depose his brother Caliph Al Amin. The siege was successful; Taher captured the city and executed the caliph.
The Siege of Baghdad (1136) by the Seljuks
The Siege of Baghdad (1157) in which the Seljuqs of Hamadan along with the Zengid of Mosul unsuccessfully besieged Baghdad.
The Siege of Baghdad (1258) was a victory for the Mongol leader Hulagu Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan. who captured Baghdad and burnt it to the ground.

Ottoman Empire[]

In 1534 Ottoman sultan Suleyman I (the Magnificent) captured the city (see Capture of Baghdad (1534))
In 1624 Abbas I of Persia (Saffavid dynasty) captured the city (see Capture of Baghdad (1624))
In 1638 Ottoman sultan Murat IV recaptured the city (see Capture of Baghdad (1638))

Modern era[]

The Fall of Baghdad (1917) in which the British and Indian capture of Ottoman-controlled Baghdad during World War I.
The 2003 invasion of Baghdad with the US capture of Saddam Hussein-controlled Baghdad following the Coalition's invasion of Iraq.