1. What role to travelers play in cultural diffusion?

2. Major Travelers of the 3rd Period
Marco Polo
Mansa Musa
Ibn Battuta
Zheng He

3. Venetian Merchant & Official
Marco Polo
Venetian Merchant & Official
Remained in service to the Yuan Dynasty for two decades
His recollections of the China whetted the appetite of Westerners for the splendors of the East

4. Marco Polo’s Travels

5. Mansa of the Mali Empire
Mansa Musa
Mansa of the Mali Empire
Hajj in
Bestowed lavish gifts of gold, slaves, etc. on his hosts
Afterwards, he reformed his kingdom through Islamic education
He distributed so much gold during his visit to Cairo that the value of gold declined by 25% in the local markets
His hajj awaked the world to the fact that Islam had spread to sub-Saharan Africa and that such a state could afford such an elaborate display of wealth… he sent ahead an enormous sum of approximately 50,000 dinars and his entourage included soldiers, wives, and as many as 12,000 slaves to be given away along the trip… he also had about 100 camels, each carrying two 100 lb sacks of gold
His caravan was led by 500 slaves all carrying rods of gold –
Once he returned, he took Islam much more seriously – he built mosques, particularly in the trading cities – he sent promising students to study under leading Islamic scholars – even opened religious schools and brought in Arabian and North African teachers – including four of Muhammad’s descendents

6. Hajj of Mansa Musa

7. Moroccan Legal Scholar
Ibn Battuta
Moroccan Legal Scholar
Hajj in
Traveled widely throughout the Muslim world
Worked in India and Maldives as a judge
Ibn Battuta travelled approximately 75,000 miles and visited the equivalent of 44 modern countries…
Ibn Battuta was from a line of Islamic legal scholars… this ultimately opened many doors for him because very few Muslims were educated in the law in many of the outlying areas… he had little difficulty finding government jobs
He attempted to persuade island women to meet the standards of modesty highly recommended (if not required) in the Arab world…
He also consulted Muslim rulers and offered advice on govt, gender issues, and social structure….

8. Travels of Ibn Battuta

9. Chinese Muslim Eunuch Admiral
Zheng He
Chinese Muslim Eunuch Admiral
7 voyages to establish the Ming Dynasty’s power throughout the Indian Ocean basin
Treasure ships were by far the largest ships the world had ever seen
Yongle Emperor organized the expeditions for two main reasons – to impose imperial control over foreign trade with China and to impress foreign peoples with the power and might that the Ming had restored to China
He dispensed gifts of silk, porcelain, and other goods – he received unusual presents like giraffes, zebras
Zheng He preferred to conduct his business diplomatically, but could resort to violence if it was necessary…

10. Ming Treasure Ships

11. Voyages of Zheng He