Art of Siege Among the Kipchaks

This article is devoted to the history of art of siege among the Kipchaks. The Kipchaks possessed the basic skills of besieging cities. They could take small towns as a result of a long blockade or a surprise attack. The Kipchaks could capture large cities only together with their allies. Ruthenians, Georgians, and Bulgarians were such allies. An attempt to use catapults of the Tir-i Charkh type is recorded in 1184. The Kipchaks hired a Khorezm specialist in the art of siege.