Question

In previous centuries, Baghdad had been the center of the Golden-Age Islamic world. Merchants and scholars from India, Africa, Europe, and Asia traveled on roads that took them into Baghdad. Hulegu was motivated to capture the city and empire because he knew it would bring him and his army the wealth and power they desired. And in the year 1258, Mongol pagan armies from the east tore open Baghdad’s majestic walls and conquered the once-great city. Muslims in Persia, Mesopotamia, and around the Islamic world were horrified by the event. Many wondered what such a defeat meant for the future of Islam. In the end, however, the Mongols themselves were conquered by Islam. While Hulegu famously never converted to Islam, many other Mongols in his army did.

Based on the passage, how did the Mongol conquest of Persia and the Islamic world impact those regions?

It convinced many Mongols to convert to Islam.
It brought down the center of Golden-Age Islam in Baghdad.
It led to the rise of Persia as a world power.
It brought Islam to Persia for the first time.

Answer 1

Correct answers:
- It convinced many Mongols to convert to Islam.
- It brought down the center of Golden-Age Islam in Baghdad.

Explanation: The passage describes the 1258 sack of Baghdad (destroying the Islamic Golden Age center) and notes that, although Hulegu didn’t convert, many Mongols later embraced Islam. The other options are not supported (Islam already existed in Persia; no claim Persia rose as a world power).