Mutukan was the grandson of Genghis Khan killed at the siege of Bamiyan in 1221.
Mutukan was the eldest son of Chagatai Khan and one of Genghis Khan’s favorite grandsons. During the Mongol siege of Bamiyan, in present-day Afghanistan, he was struck by an arrow and died. The event occurred during the Mongol pursuit of Jalal al-Din Mangburni, the last ruler of the Khwarazmian Empire.
Genghis Khan was reportedly devastated by Mutukan’s death. After the fortress fell, he ordered an exceptionally severe punishment against Bamiyan and forbade the usual taking of booty. Later accounts connect this destruction and mourning to the city’s reputation in Mongol-era narratives.
Mutukan’s death is easy to confuse with the later careers of other famous Mongol princes. Hulagu was a grandson who founded the Ilkhanate in Iran, Kublai became Great Khan and founded China’s Yuan dynasty, and Batu led the western Mongol expansion. None of those three died at Bamiyan. Mutukan’s son, Qara Hülegü, later became khan of the Chagatai Khanate.