66 ISLAM AT WAR
When Baybars died, the succession passed through a series of weak,
and sometimes juvenile, sultans often controlled by others. The empire
would periodically have a strong and capable sultan who would rule for
some years, but invariably, upon his death, the Mamluk empire would
plunge deeper into chaos as the centuries rolled on.
The next important Mamluk sultan was Qalaoon and he, too, would be
challenged by the Mongols. On October 31, 1281, Qalaoon stood with the
Mamluk army facing the Mongols in what would be known as the Battle
of Hims. When the battle was engaged the Mongols fell on the Mamluk
right wing but were driven back into their center. On their right, however,
the enemy was successful and routed the Mamluk left.The Mamluk left
fled to the gates of Hims with the Mongols on their heels. The gates were
closed, and the Mongols slaughtered everyone they caught outside the
walls.
However, back on the main battlefield, the fight went against the Asiatic
horsemen. The Mamluk right flank penetrated almost to the center of the
Mongol army, which began to advance against Qalaoon’s position. As the
Mamluk drums sounded to recall the stragglers, Azdemir al Haj, a senior
Mamluk emir, galloped across to the Mongols with a few men, calling
out that they were deserters and wished to speak with the Mongol general,
Mangu Timur. They were escorted to the Mongol commander, who they
promptly cut down. As the Mongols rushed to their leader’s assistance,
chaos erupted in their leaderless center.
Seeing this disorder, perhaps knowing what Azdemir al Haj had done,
the Mamluks charged. Though Mangu Timur was only wounded, he was
quickly removed from the battlefield. Azdemir al Haj and his fellows had
been cut down, sacrificing themselves in a valiant attempt to give the
Mamluks the edge they needed for victory. Their sacrifice was successful,
and the charging Egyptians broke and scattered the steppe army.
Meanwhile, the Mongol right was amusing itself by slaughtering the
people of Hims and was unaware of the results of the battle. Sated with
blood, they turned back to rejoin the main body. Anticipating this, Qalaoon
had held back about 1,000 men who laid in ambush awaiting the enemy’s
return. When the Mongols had ridden past his position, the Mamluks
erupted from their rear, smashing them into panic-stricken flight across
the plain.
That night, the sun set on an exhausted but victorious Mamluk army.
The disastrous retreat had cost the Mongols more men than had the battle.
They were so demoralized by their defeat that many fell prey to the angry
survivors of the local peasantry who had plenty of scores to settle with
them. Unaware of the Mamluk victory, the citizens of Damascus had pan-