 Genghis Khan camped in Sayram, and awaited the arrival of his sons in 1223.Sayram's neighbor to the west was not so lucky, the doomed city of Otrar, also called Utrar or Farab, and the birthplace of Al-Farabi, which was utterly destroyed by the Mongol leader.The famous historian Rashid-al-Din (1247–1318）wrote that Sayram was also known as Kary Sailam (Old Sayram).