How could a hurricane change the history of the Arabs?

Written By ندى ماهر عبدربه on 2024/07/23

This article was written originally in Arabic and is translated using a 3rd party automated service. ArabiaWeather is not responsible for any grammatical errors whatsoever.

Weather of Arabia - The hurricane that changed the history of the Arabs goes back to the events that the Middle East witnessed in the Middle Ages, but if you mean the influence of the Mongols in Arab history, then yes, the Japanese hurricanes played an important role in changing the course of history, including the history of the Arabs, through Its impact on the Mongol invasion of the region. Here's how it can be explained:

The story of the Japanese typhoon that caused the Mongols to abandon the idea of invading Japan

In their quest to control the islands of the Japanese archipelago, the Mongols, led by Kublai Khan, equipped a huge army numbering about 140,000 soldiers. Until the Normandy landings during World War II, this attempt was considered the largest naval invasion in history.

When attacks on the archipelago began, the Mongols initially succeeded in controlling the islands of Tsushima and Iki. As they approached Hakata Bay, they encountered violent resistance from local samurai forces, forcing them to retreat towards the Chinese mainland.

During the first attack in 1274, the Mongols transported about 40,000 soldiers using hundreds of ships, but when they were in Hakata Bay, they were exposed to a hurricane that destroyed many of their ships and caused about 13,000 soldiers to drown.

The second typhoon in Japan

After the first attack, the Japanese built defensive walls more than two meters high on the areas overlooking China to protect themselves from future Mongol attacks. Seven years later, the Mongols returned to Japan to carry out a new invasion in 1281, equipped with a huge army numbering 140,000 soldiers.

While trying to search for gaps in the defensive walls to land their forces , the Mongol ships sailed for weeks, without finding a suitable landing site, which led to the depletion of a large part of their food stores.

During that period, a large hurricane struck the area, later known as the "Kamikaze" or "Holy Wind." This hurricane destroyed a large percentage of the Mongols' ships, and resulted in the drowning of about half of their army, and many of the survivors were captured by the Japanese forces, who executed them without hesitation.

After this second attempt, the Mongols completely abandoned the idea of invading Japan. Thanks to local legends, the Japanese believe that the hurricane was orchestrated by the god Raijin, who saved Japan from invasion. Therefore, this hurricane was nicknamed the Kamikaze, or "Holy Wind."

In approximately the same period, the Mongols went to invade Arab countries, including the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad. This was due to the failure of the Mongols to invade Japan, which prompted them to focus on other regions, most notably the Islamic and Arab world.

Mongol invasion and influence in the Arab world

The Mongol invasion of the Arab region

In the thirteenth century, the Mongols, led by Hulagu Khan, invaded many regions, including Arabia, and in 1258, Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, fell into the hands of the Mongols. This event had a great impact on the Islamic and Arab world, as it led to the destruction of the center of Culture, science and politics of the region.

Proof of the hurricane that saved Japan from the Mongols in modern science

Sediment samples spanning 2,000 years, taken from a lake near the likely site of the Mongol invasion, reveal a marked increase in salt content. This increase indicates that typhoons struck Japan around the time of Kublai Khan's reign. At the time, these events were seen as divine intervention on behalf of the Japanese.

Studies show that floods were common during that period, thanks to increased El Niño activity and storms in Japan began to become more intense around 250 AD, long before the arrival of Kublai Khan and his relatives who formed their empire in the region. For Japan, this was very fortunate timing. As the authors of the new study point out, “Kamikaze hurricanes may be a prominent example of how past changes in extreme weather associated with climate change can influence large geopolitical events.”

The impact of the failure of the Japanese invasion on the Arab world

Focus resources and efforts

The Mongols' failure to conquer Japan led them to focus on other regions, including the Islamic and Arab world. Had the Mongols succeeded in conquering Japan, this may have changed the distribution of their resources and military and political interests, which could have reduced their focus on the Arab regions.

Distribution of military power

The failure in Japan meant that the Mongols were unable to expand their empire to the east, which prompted them to continue expanding to the west and south. This led to their successful conquests in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Political and cultural changes

The fall of Baghdad and the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate opened the way for major changes in the political and cultural structure of the Arab world. Many small states and empires emerged in the vacuum left by the decline of Abbasid authority.

While the hurricanes that destroyed the Mongol fleet were not directly linked to the Arab world, their indirect effects were profound. The Mongols failed to conquer Japan; Because of the "kamikaze" hurricanes, they focused their efforts on other regions, which greatly influenced the history of the Arab world through the Mongol invasions and the radical changes they caused in the region.