the Indus River, however, the Mongols caught up with him and slaughtered his forces, along with thousands of refugees, at the Battle of the Indus. He escaped and sought asylum in the Sultanate of Delhi but Iltutmish denied this to him in deference to the relationship with the Abbasid caliphs. The cities of Herat, Ghazni and Merv were destroyed and massacred by the Mongols, for his resistance or rebelliousness. Family One of al-Zahir's concubines was Hayat Khatun. She was of Turkish origin, a favored and trusted concubine, and the mother of one of his sons. She was manumitted upon his death and became a free woman. She died on 16 August 1241, and was buried in the mausoleum of the caliph al-Mustadi. Another of his concubines was Bab Jawhar. She was a Turkish slave who was also a favorite of al-Zahir. She died on 1 August 1241, and was buried near the caliphal tombs in the Rusafah Cemetery. Another of his concubines was a Turkish slave. She was the mother of the future Caliph al-Mustansir. Succession Al-Zahir was succeeded by al-Mustansir bi-llah. See also Al-Sarai Mosque built by his father al-Nasir. Zumurrud Khatun Mosque and Mausoleum was built by his grandmother. Mausoleum of Umar Suhrawardi Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi References This text is adapted from William Muir's public domain, The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall. 1170s births 1226 deaths 13th-century Abbasid caliphs Sons of Abbasid caliphs