The Ilkhanate's Conversion to Islam

In the decades after the Mongol sack of Baghdad, the Ilkhanate—the Mongol state in Persia and the Middle East—underwent a profound transformation. This episode explores how the descendants of Hulegu, the destroyer of the Abbasid Caliphate, gradually embraced Islam, culminating in the public conversion of Ghazan Khan in 1295. We discuss the role of Sufi shaykhs like Sadr al-Din Ibrahim, the influence of the vizier Rashid al-Din, the political and social pressures of ruling a Muslim majority, and the backlash from Mongol traditionalists. Along the way, we consider the fate of the Jochid rivals to the north, the shifting allegiances with the Mamluks, and how this religious shift reshaped the Ilkhanate's identity and its place in the wider Mongol world. #Ilkhanate #GhazanKhan #ConversionToIslam #MongolEmpire #Hulegu #RashidAlDin #Sufism #SadrAlDin #Tabriz #Baghdad #Mamluks #GoldenHorde #BerkeKhan #Toluid #Jochid #PaxMongolica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo