Battle of Ain Tab (Mongols vs Mamluks)

Following the landmark victory at Ain Jalut, the Mamluk Sultan Baybars continued his campaign to push Mongol forces out of Syria. The engagement near Ain Tab was part of a series of battles in which Baybars methodically dismantled Mongol control of northern Syria. Baybars proved to be an exceptionally able military administrator as well as a field commander, rebuilding fortifications, reorganising the postal relay system (barid) to enable rapid communication across the sultanate, and striking repeatedly at Mongol positions before they could consolidate. The campaigns of 1261 to 1263 effectively ended Mongol control of Syria. Baybars also dealt with the Crusader states, capturing several important fortresses. His policies of aggressive territorial consolidation established the Mamluk state as the dominant power of the eastern Mediterranean and the defender of Sunni Islam in its darkest hour.