Sufis and Shamans: Some Remarks on the Islamization of the Mongols in the Ilkhanate
In: Journal of the Economic and Social History of the OrientSearch for other papers by Reuven Amitai-Preiss in
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Abstract
Some scholars have argued that sufis, Muslim mystics, played a decisive role in converting the Mongols in Iran to Islam in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, mainly because of the similarity between the extreme sufis (the dervishes) and the shamans of the traditional Mongol religion. This paper maintains that it was primarily some moderate, "institutional" sufis who were close to Mongol ruling circles and thus played a part in their conversion. This, however, had little to so with any resemblance between shamans and sufis, since it is suggested that Muslim mystics, even of the dervish variety, are basically dissimilar to the Inner Asian shamans. If, indeed, both kinds of sufis were successful in influencing the Mongols, it would appear that this is due to other reasons suggested at the end of the paper.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1986 | 320 | 47 |
| Full Text Views | 214 | 7 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 236 | 19 | 0 |
Sufis and Shamans: Some Remarks on the Islamization of the Mongols in the Ilkhanate
In: Journal of the Economic and Social History of the OrientSearch for other papers by Reuven Amitai-Preiss in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Some scholars have argued that sufis, Muslim mystics, played a decisive role in converting the Mongols in Iran to Islam in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, mainly because of the similarity between the extreme sufis (the dervishes) and the shamans of the traditional Mongol religion. This paper maintains that it was primarily some moderate, "institutional" sufis who were close to Mongol ruling circles and thus played a part in their conversion. This, however, had little to so with any resemblance between shamans and sufis, since it is suggested that Muslim mystics, even of the dervish variety, are basically dissimilar to the Inner Asian shamans. If, indeed, both kinds of sufis were successful in influencing the Mongols, it would appear that this is due to other reasons suggested at the end of the paper.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1986 | 320 | 47 |
| Full Text Views | 214 | 7 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 236 | 19 | 0 |
