Picrelated, northeast. Mongols just freshly off their conquest of China search for western trade opportunities. Their merchant enter Persia, they are mocked, robbed and turned back. Ghengis then sends an envoy to ask for reparations and better trestment. Envoy is beheaded. Mongols then invade, sack and depopulate region to a such a degree that Iram did not recover demographically by mid 1850s.

>>508502118 (OP)
This also put a dent to islamic conquest of Europe.

>>508502118 (OP)
The mongols literally marched an entire cities population into a moat to fill it with their bodies so that they could position their seige weapons.

>>508502118 (OP)
this was a safe route until the 1970s

>>508502118 (OP)
This was afghanistan and central asia. Iran did not suffer demographic decline as much as those countries. It also explains why Iranians dont look asian while afghans and central
Asians do

>>508502118 (OP)
Who cares. Like the Mongols needed an excuse for conquest.
If you didn't pay tribute and supply troops they fucked you up either way.