Final answer:
After Ghazan's conversion to Islam in 1295, the Il-Khanate witnessed increased integration with Muslim culture, including a rise in intermarriage, embracing Islamic civilization, and prioritizing economic and cultural developments such as schooling and architecture, which solidified the bond between the Mongol rulers and their Muslim subjects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Following the conversion of the Il-Khanate ruler Ghazan to Islam in 1295, several significant changes occurred within the Il-Khanate. Ghazan himself strongly favored Islam, which marked the beginning of a closer integration between the Mongol rulers and their Muslim subjects. This closer relationship was manifested in several ways.
- Intermarriage between Mongols and their Muslim subjects greatly increased, blurring cultural distinctions.
- Il-Khanate rulers, including Ghazan's brother Oljaitu who promoted Shia Islam, began to embrace Islamic culture and civilization more fully.
- The Il-Khanate shifted priorities towards rebuilding the agricultural infrastructure, focusing on the economy, and promoting cosmopolitan urban life.
- Mongol rulers funded the construction of schools, mosques, and bazaars, thereby fostering the flourishing of Islamic culture and scholarship.
These changes reflected the transformation from the Mongols being conquerors to becoming integrated members of the sedentary societies they once dominated. The Mongols adopted many aspects of Persian culture and established Islam as the official religion of the state, becoming patrons of scholarship and the arts. Unfortunately, internal conflicts and factional struggles led to the eventual fragmentation of the Il-Khanate by the mid-fourteenth century.