Siege of Beijing 1213-1214 (Jami al-tawarikh miniature)

What it is

This is a painted miniature from a manuscript of the Jami al-tawarikh, a history written by Rashid al-Din, with the illustration dated 1430. The creator is listed as Sayf al-Vâhidî of Herat, Afghanistan. The image shows a mounted warrior in green and orange armour and a pointed helmet riding before a grey walled city with a gate. Behind him a red-clad rider and a line of helmeted soldiers stand on a golden hillside under a red banner.

Why it matters

The illustration depicts the siege of Beijing from 1213 to 1214, when Genghis Khan's forces attacked the Jin capital. The manuscript itself was written by Rashid al-Din, who worked at the Ilkhanid court in Persia. Images like this show how later Persian artists imagined Mongol campaigns, and they add visual detail to the written history.

Look closer

• How does the painter show the attackers and the city, and which side seems to be in control?
• Why might a 15th-century artist in Herat illustrate a siege that happened in China two centuries earlier?
• What does the picture leave out about the people who lived inside the city?