How did Bulgar conversion to Islam affect the Udmurts and Mari?

In the 8th century, the Udmurts and the Mari (referred to as the Cheremis) came under the domination of the Bulgars. The conversion of the Bulgars to Islam in 922, followed by subsequent Tatar domination in eastern Russia between 1236 and 1552, served to give added significance to the Arab-Islamic tradition within the religious landscape of these southeastern Finno-Ugric peoples.1

This period of Bulgar and later Tatar rule represents one of the key external cultural influences that shaped the religious atmosphere of the Udmurts and Mari, who were historically marked by Turko-Tatar influence.1