Islamization in the Mongol Empire

Introduction. Narratives from Xinjiang: social and political significance

“…5 A significant body of literature addresses diverse forms of narrative construction across Central Asia, exemplified by Devin DeWeese's monograph on Central Asian conversion legends. 6 Paolo Sartori's study of Islamic law in Central Asia is an important reference work for interpreting Islamic legal documents in pre-socialist Xinjiang. 7 History-making as a contemporary social activity in Eurasia is thematized in Svetlana Jacquesson's edited collection, 8 while Kyrgyz and Kazakh genealogical narratives have been explored by, for example, David Gullette and David Sneath.…”

Women in Mongol Iran

“…162 Consequently, when we find references in the sources to Mongol women in Iran being allocated land to hold in usufruct, we should not understand that they governed such land, but that they enjoyed its productivity. 163 In Iran, the practice of allotting land to women took place from the very beginning. Abaqa distributed the resources of sedentary populations among the khātūns, giving a portion of Mayyafariqin [in Syria] to Qutui Khatun, part of Diyarbekir and the province of Jazīra [Iraq] to Oljäi Khatun, Salmas [north-western Iran] to Jumghur's wife Tolun Khatun and his sons Jüshkab and Kingshü.…”

Women in Mongol Iran : The Kahtuns, 1206-1335

“…162 It is difficult to extrapolate Bulliet's theory to the whole of the Mongol Empire, where the process of Islamisation responded to a variety of factors. 163 However, his Islamisation curve, based on the bell curve, does seem to represent, to a certain degree, the process of Islamisation of Mongol khātūns in Iran: a slow start in the initial decades after the arrival of Hülegü; a gained momentum in the middle portion of the curve, which would correspond to the 1280s up to the years around the conversion of Ghazan Khan in 1295; and then a more steady increase as the population of possible adopters became saturated.…”

“…162 Consequently, when we find references in the sources to Mongol women in Iran being allocated land to hold in usufruct, we should not understand that they governed such land, but that they enjoyed its productivity. 163 In Iran, the practice of allotting land to women took place from the very beginning. Abaqa distributed the resources of sedentary populations among the khātūns, giving 164 However, from the end of Abaqa's reign, it appears that the allocation of estate taxes for khātūns' ordos was replaced by a system whereby the allocated region had to pay a fixed tax that a women's servant collected from the assigned territories.…”

“…162 Conflict arose between the new governor and the princess and shortly afterwards some of Abesh's followers organised a plot to kill ʿImad al-Din. 163 Arghun was furious and immediately sent the nephew of the murdered governor to investigate. Interestingly, at this point Arghun asked for permission from, and justified his proposed actions to, Abesh's motherin-law, Öljei Khatun.…”