Jenin
On 3 September 1260, in Ramadan 658 AH, the Mamluk army of Sultan Sayf al-Din Qutuz and his commander Baybars met the Mongols at Ayn Jalut, the Spring of…
On 3 September 1260, in Ramadan 658 AH, the Mamluk army of Sultan Sayf al-Din Qutuz and his commander Baybars met the Mongols at Ayn Jalut, the Spring of Goliath, at the foot of Mount Gilboa. The Mamluks won a decisive victory and the Mongol commander Kitbuqa was killed. It was the first great defeat of the Mongols, and it ended their advance towards Egypt two years after they had sacked Baghdad. The spring rises from a cave at the foot of Mount Gilboa on the edge of the Jezreel Valley, and its water flows into pools surrounded by lawns and trees. The area around the spring is now a national park, about 12 kilometres north of Jenin.