Both Mamluk and Mongol armies encamped in the Holy Land in July 1260. They finally met at Ain Jalut on September 3, with both sides numbering about 20,000 men. The Mamluks drew out the Mongol cavalry with a feigned retreat, but were almost overwhelmed by the savage Mongol attack. Qutuz rallied his troops for a successful counterattack, along with cavalry reserves hidden in the nearby valleys. The Mongols were forced to retreat, and Kitbuqa was captured and executed. Mamluk heavy cavalrymen were clearly able to beat the Mongols in close combat, something that no one had previously done.
It is important to note that these particular Mamluks had essentially been created to meet the Mongol crisis. The bulk of them were Turkic or Circassian tribesmen sold in Constantinople to the Sultan of Egypt and trained on Mameluke Island in the Nile. They were not only great horsemen themselves, but were familiar with steppe warfare and with Mongol tactics and weapons. After a time, Egypt basically became a country existing to support a military force. This was vital in defending the Holy Land, and doing what no one else had previously done, decisively defeating the Mongols, who never were able to avenge this defeat. Many historians argue that this battle, and the subsequent Japanese defeats of the invading Mongols, marked the beginning of the end of the Mongol Empire, though parts of it would last another 250 years. Ain Jalut and the defeats near Iki Island by the Japanese marked the end of the aura of Mongol invincibility.
