Battle of Elbistan
Elbistan, Turkey
What happened
The Mamluk army of Sultan Baybars fought a Mongol army of the Ilkhanate, with Georgian and Seljuk troops, under Tödä'ün Noyan. Baybars crossed the Taurus Mountains into Anatolia and found the Mongol army near Elbistan. A Mongol and Georgian charge broke the Mamluk centre, but the Mamluks regrouped and overwhelmed them. Surrounded Mongol troops on the hills fought on until they were defeated.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It limited Mongol influence in Anatolia. It led to open war between the Mamluks and the Ilkhanate.
What came next
Baybars took Kayseri, then withdrew to Syria and died in Damascus that summer. The Ilkhan Abaqa gathered an army for Syria, but it was never sent.
Did you know?
Baybars, born a Kipchak Turk and sold as a slave, also set up a fast horse relay that could carry messages from Cairo to Damascus in about four days.
Timeline
- 1260Baybars fights at Ain Jalut and becomes sultan.
- 15 April 1277Baybars wins at Elbistan.
- 23 April 1277Baybars takes Kayseri.
- 30 June 1277Baybars dies in Damascus.