Battle of Marj al - Saffar ( 1303 ) The Battle of Marj al - Saffar ( or Marj al - Suffar ) , also known as the Battle of Shaqhab , took place on April 20 through April 22 , 1303 between the Mamluk s and the Mongols and their Armenian allies near Kiswe , Syria , just south of Damascus . The battle , a disastrous defeat for the Mongols , put an end to Ghazan Khan ' s invasions of Syria . Previous Mongol - Muslim conflict . A string of Mongol victories , starting in 1218 when they invaded Khwarezm , quickly gave the Mongols control over Persia as well as the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum of Asia Minor . Incorporated troops from submitted countries such as Cilician Armenia and the Kingdom of Georgia , in 1258 , the Mongols sacked Baghdad followed in 1260 by the taking of Aleppo and Damascus . Later that same year , the Mongols experienced their first major defeat at the Battle of Ain Jalut , which eventually forced the Mongols out of Damascus and Aleppo and back across the Euphrates . Nearly 40 years later , the new Khan , Ghazan , once again invaded Syria , retaking Aleppo in 1299 . Ghazan defeated Mamluk forces at the Battle of Wadi al - Khazandar that same year , and Damascus quickly surrendered to him . After sending raiding parties as far south as Gaza , Ghazan withdrew from Syria . Events just before the battle . In 1303 , Ghazan sent his general Qutlugh - shah with an army to recapture Syria . The inhabitants and rulers of Aleppo and Hama fled to Damascus to flee the Mongols . However , Baibars II was in Damascus and sent a message to the Sultan of Egypt to come to fight the Mongols . The Sultan left Egypt with an army to meet the Mongols in Syria and arrived while the Mongols were attacking Hama . The Mongols reached the Damascus outskirts on April 19 to meet the Sultans army . The Mamluks led them to the plain of Marj al - Saffar where the battle would take place . The battle . The battle started on 2 Ramadhan 702 in the Hijri calendar , or April 20 , 1303 . Qutlugh - Shah ' s army was positioned next to a river . The battle started by Qatlugh - Shah ' s left wing attacking the Mamluk ' s right wing with his brigade of 10 , 000 soldiers ; the Egyptians reportedly suffered heavy casualties . The Mamluk center wing and left wing under the command of Emir Salar and Emir Baibars al - Jashnakir and Bedouin irregulars then came to fight the Mongols ; however , the Mongols kept pushing the right flank of the Egyptian army and many of the Muslims thought the battle would be lost . The Mamluk left flank , however , held out . Qutlugh - Shah went to the top of a nearby hill hoping to watch the victory of his forces , and whilst he was giving orders to his army , the Egyptians surrounded the hill . This led to the Mongols suffering heavy casualties on the hill . The next morning the Mamluks deliberately opened their ranks to let the Mongols flee to the river , Wadi Arram . when they arrived at the river , they received reinforcements . However , When the Mongols reached the river to drink , the Sultan attacked the Mongols , and the fighting lasted till noon . By the next day , the battle was over . Aftermath . According to the medieval Egyptian historian Al - Maqrizi , when Qutlugh - Shah reached Ghazan at Kushuf after the battle to inform him of the defeat of the Mongols , the Khan became wild with rage , the excitement resulting in a nose bleed . Messages were sent to Egypt and Damascus to tell of the victory , and the Sultan went to Damascus . While the Sultan was in Damascus the Mamluk army kept chasing the Mongols as far as Qariyatain . When the Sultan returned to Cairo , he entered Bab al - Nasr ( Victory Gate ) with chained prisoners of war . Singers and dancers were called from all over Egypt to celebrate the great victory . Castles were decorated and the celebrations lasted many days .