The city they approached was the capital of Shah Muhammand of the Khwarezm, the center of an empire that included parts of modern-day Afghanistan and Tran. Earlier, the Shah hah executed the Mongol ambassador and had sent back the man’s head to Genghis Khan, infuriating the Mongol leader. Shah Muhammard had 110,000 troops in the city, but most were poorly disciplined and fled even before the Mongol army arrived. After just a day’s fighting, the city gates were opened, and the Shah’s people were forced to beg the Mongols from mercy, which they did not receive.
Today, there is barely anything left of the once famed for its copper and silver artisans. An advanced aqueduct system once brought water to the city, making gardens bloom in the dry lands. Today, there is only grass and some occasional bricks. A modern-day Samarkand has grown in its place, but of the original city’s great workshops and palaces, nothing remains.