The Golden Horde gradually converted to Islam during the 14th century. Islam became especially dominant under Öz Beg Khan, who ruled from 1313 to 1341, although earlier khans had already adopted the faith.
The Golden Horde was the western khanate of the Mongol Empire, ruling much of the Eurasian steppe and exerting power over Russian principalities. Its early rulers followed a mixture of Mongol traditions, including Tengrism, while generally allowing subject communities to practice Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and other religions.
Berke Khan, who ruled in the 1250s and 1260s, was an important early Mongol ruler to embrace Islam. Later, Öz Beg Khan strengthened Islam’s political and cultural position across the Horde, making it the dominant religion of the ruling elite and state. The conversion was gradual rather than a single event: Tengrism and other traditions continued, and the Horde remained religiously diverse for centuries.