Mamluk incursions over the border may have disconcerted the Īlkhāns and their local commanders and confederates, but they did not seriously endanger the integrity and security of the Īlkhānid kingdom. In 675/1277, however, Bay bars mounted a major invasion of Rūm, in the course of which he defeated a Mongol army at Abulustayn (Elbistan) and occupied the Seljuq capital of Qaysariyya (Kayseri, Caesarea). Baybars's goals are not known. Perhaps he had hoped to wrest Seljuq Rūm from the Mongols, thinking that he would find significant support from various military elements in that country. Possibly, however, his plan was more modest, and he had only launched a massive raid in order to destabilize the Mongols, test their reactions and try his own troops.

Early Mamluk interest in Seljuq Rūm

In the aftermath of the victory at Köse Dagh (641/1243), the Mongols gained control over the Seljuq kingdom in Rūm. Mongol rule, however, was indirect, and the Seljuq sultans, or rather their senior officials and officers, still ran the country, although under Mongol supervision. Actual Mongol presence in Rum was minimal.