the Mongol Empire. Siege of Maghas In November of 1239, the Mongols laid siege to the capital of Alania, Maghas, according to several historians and geographers was located on the Alkhan-Kala settlement in Chechnya, while most agree that it was located on the Chechen plain. According to the Chinese chronicle "Yuan-Shi", Maghas was surrounded by swamps and huge dense forests that "It was difficult for the wind to get through". Because of this, the Mongols cut down the forests and paved roads for the army to get around easier, after which the Mongol army (among whom was Matarsha, whos army was in the vanguard) began the siege. Not long after the siege began, Khour I and his army arrived back from Circassia. He drove part of the Mongol army away and fought himself through, eventually entering the city, afterwhich he fortified himself in there. Khour's wife, despite being the niece of Botur, supported the resistance. During the siege, she expected a child, after which she left the city through a secret gorge and gave birth to Khour's only son, Chakh. The defence of Maghas was fierce. Regularly, there were attmepts to take the city by storm, however, all of them failed. In January of 1240, the Mongol commanders Batu Khan, Kadan, Güyük and Möngke Khan ordered one, this time, large assault on the city. By shellingg the city, the Mongols managed to climb the walls using siege ladders, and, after a short battle inside the city, the Mongols finally captured the city, afterwhich it was destroyed. According to the "Book of Victories", 270,000 civilians were killed after the victory. However, because no Mongol reports talks about this number, and especially since this claim was only announced 150 years after the siege, this figure is greatly exaggerated. Chechen legends claims that the older population of Maghas was rotten out in order to erease the history of the Durdzuks. After the fall of Maghas, Batu Khan sent a report to Ögedei Khan, saying "By the power of the Eternal Sky and the greatness of the sovereign and uncle, we destroyed the city of Meget (Maghas) and subjugated eleven countries and peoples to your righteous power, and intending to turn the golden reins to the house, we decided to arrange a farewell feast." Following the fall of Maghas, the Mongols, after another brutal battle, also captured and destroyed the second largest city and