Yes. Large areas of central Asia had been heavily populated and highly civilized for millenia. The Mongols destroyed these civilizations and to a very considerable extent they have never recovered.
In fact, the same is probably true of Iraq. Highly civilized and heavily populated, one of the world’s greatest areas of civilization for at least 5000 years continuous. Conquered by dozens of groups over the millenia. Irrigation systems destroyed, etc.
The irrigation systems were always patiently rebuilt by the surviving peasantry and civilization revived.
Then the Mongols rolled through. Destroyed the irrigation systems AND killed the peasantry. The area has never fully recovered. BTW, this horrendous tragedy occurred during the Crusades, which is why for over a thousand years Muslims pretty much ignored the Crusades. They were, by comparison to the Mongol invasion, a minor irritant.
At one point Genghis implemented a policy of killing the entire Chinese population to free up land for grazing the Mongol flocks and herds. A captured Chinese official talked him out of it before it had gone too far. He convinced GK he’d make more by leaving the Chinese alive and exploiting them than by killing them. IOW, herding people has a higher ROI than herding animals.
His progeny would succeed for time immemorial: the Clan of the Golden Tongue.
:o)