Son of Tolui and the Kerait princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan, and the brother of Arik Boke, Mongke and Kublai Khan. He was also the step-father of Absh Khatun. Hulagu's army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate of Persia. Under his leadership, the Mongols destroyed the two greatest centers of Islamic power, Baghdad in the year 1258, and Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluks in Cairo.