November 24, 1221

Battle of the Indus

Genghis Khan defeats Jalal al-Din at the Indus

Cornered against the Indus, Jalal al-Din escaped not in a boat but on horseback, swimming to the far bank while his army collapsed behind him.

24 November 1221, on the western bank

Genghis Khan overtook Jalal al-Din Mangburni's retreating Khwarazmian force on the western bank of the Indus before it could complete the crossing, and the Mongols surrounded and defeated it. The traditional date is 8 Shawwal 618 AH, converted by the Encyclopaedia of Islam to 24 November 1221.

The exact date is not beyond dispute: other published chronologies give 25 November, December, or an earlier August–September date.

The battlefield's exact location and the size of both armies also remain uncertain; the often-cited 30,000 Khwarazmians and 50,000-plus Mongols should not be treated as verified totals.

Into the river

Jalal al-Din escaped the battlefield by riding his horse into the Indus and swimming to the opposite bank. His commander Amin Malik was killed during the defeat.

Descriptions of a 20-, 30- or 60-foot leap, and of Genghis ordering his archers not to shoot, derive from differing narrative traditions rather than independently measurable details.

Another of his commanders, Temur Malik, survived Jalal al-Din's failure; he later became a wandering mystic and was eventually killed near Khujand.

Not the end of him

Jalal al-Din had reached the river after defeating a Mongol army at Parwan and then losing a large part of his coalition in a quarrel over booty.

He subsequently gathered approximately 4,000 of his troops across the river and remained in India for about three years.

He remained Khwarazmshah until his death in 1231, and Mongol detachments operated across the Indus in pursuit of him.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 4 sources not yet audited Traditional date

How this was checked

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Traditional date. This date is the conventional one, not one fixed by a contemporary record.

What the sources leave uncertain

The exact date is not beyond dispute. The Encyclopaedia of Islam converts 8 Shawwal 618 to 24 November 1221, while other published chronologies give 25 November, December, or an earlier August–September date.
The exact battlefield location and the size of both armies remain uncertain. The article’s figures of 30,000 Khwarazmians and at least 50,000 Mongols should not be treated as verified totals.
Descriptions of a 20-, 30- or 60-foot leap, and of Genghis ordering archers not to shoot, derive from differing narrative traditions rather than independently measurable details.