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Hulagu Khan[hOOlA´gOO khAn] Pronunciation Key, 1217–65, Mongol conqueror, grandson of Jenghiz Khan. His brother Mangu, grand khan of the Mongols, directed him to quell a revolt in Persia. In 1256, in the course of his successful campaign, his forces virtually exterminated the powerful Assassin sect. Moving west to enlarge his conquests, he sacked and burned Baghdad in 1258 (executing the last Abbasid caliph) and captured Aleppo and Damascus in 1260. Further advances were checked by the Mamluks, who defeated him (Sept., 1260) at the decisive battle of Ayn Jalut (Goliath's Well) in Syria. Hulagu withdrew to Azerbaijan, adopted Islam, and founded the Il-khan dynasty. His khanate, which included all of Persia, endured until 1335, when it was divided into five parts.
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