Between 1218 and 1220, the Mongols under Jenghis Khan swept into Western Asia. Though their invasion was neither as complete nor as immediate as is often believed, by the late 13th century Mongol states ruled all the way from Mesopotamia to China. In the field of painting the Mongol invasions had important consequences. In Mamluk Syria and Egypt, the Mesopotamian tradition of manuscript illustration was concentrated. In Anatolia, Mongol overlordship after 1243 stifled architectural and artistic patronage. Most of the states in Anatolia and Central Asia were not fruitful in terms of manuscripts during that time, therefore it was Iran and Mesopotamia that major artistic developments occured, on a scale which far surpassed anything of earlier centuries. The schools of Tabriz and Shiraz are presented in this page. Most of the depicted illustrations are from Shah-nama's (book of kings) of different rulers and important personalities including Zal, Simurgh, Iskandar, Isfandiyar, Munichir and Bahram Gur.