THE SILK ROAD
Ibn Battuta
Moroccan,
1304 – c.
Ibn Battuta was a Muslim scholar who
began his extensive travels when he was
around 21 years old with a pilgrimage to
Mecca. Following that, he resolved to travel
throughout the Islamic world, and he did
so for the next 29 years, visiting numerous
Muslim countries as well as others such
as Russia, China and India. When Battuta
returned to Morocco in 1354, he wrote
The Rihla, an account of his adventures.
Despite the fact that his work has been
overshadowed by authors such as Marco
Polo, he is frequently referred to as the
greatest explorer of all time.
In his
lifetime, Ibn
Battuta travelled
around 120,000km,
more than any other
pre-modern
explorerZhang Qian, a diplomat of the Western Han dynasty, was
dispatched to Central Asia by Emperor Wu in 138 BCE. He
led an expedition to contact the Yuezhi in the hopes of
forming an alliance against the Xiongnu, but the Xiongnu
captured Qian and his companions. They finally escaped
after a decade in captivity and Qian continued his mission,
only for the Yuezhi to reject the alliance. Even though he
had failed, Qian gained a wealth of knowledge about the
West, which led to the establishment of the Silk Road and
China’s expansion into the West.Zhang Qian
Chinese, 164 BCE – c.114 BCE
GENGHIS KHAN
MONGOLIAN, C.1158 – 1227
The founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis
Khan’s numerous conquests, in addition
to the conquests of his successors, across
Asia and Europe brought almost the entire
Silk Road completely under Mongol control.
This resulted in the Pax Mongolica, a period
of peace during which Mongol protection
increased stability and communication
along trade routes, allowing more goods to
f low freely. Cities that had previously been
destroyed, such as Samarkand, were rebuilt,
and increased cultural
interactions
brought the West
and East closer
together. The Silk
Road’s improved
security also
made it easier for
more people to
travel along it
s a f e l y.PRINCESS WENCHENG
CHINESE, C.628 – C.
The founding king of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo,
sought peace with Tang Dynasty Emperor
Taizong, sending diplomats to the Chinese
court to request a princess to marry. Such
marriages were a common method used by
Chinese emperors to maintain peace along
the Silk Road and keep it open. Taizong chose
Princess Wencheng and in 640 she was sent
along the Silk Road to marry the Tibetan
king. Settling in her new home, Wencheng is
credited with spreading Buddhism in Tibet.GIOVANNI DA PIAN DEL CARPINI
ITALIAN, C.1180 – 1252
In 1245, Pope Innocent IV dispatched Franciscan friars
Giovanni da Pian del Carpini and Benedict the Pole
to the Mongol court on a diplomatic mission. Carpini
is credited with being the first notable European to
visit the Far East, and he returned after two years.
Carpini chronicled his travels along the Silk Road in
a manuscript titled History of the Mongols Whom We
Call the Tartars,
which provides
a comprehensive
account of the
Mongols in the
13th century.WILLIAM OF RUBRUCK
FLEMISH, C.1215 – C.
In 1253, King Louis IX of France dispatched William of
Rubruck, a Flemish Franciscan friar and missionary, to
convert the Mongols to Christianity. He kept a detailed
account of his time with the
Mongols, which he presented to
Louis upon his return in 1255.
William was notably the first
European to write an eyewitness
account of Karakorum, the
Mongol Empire’s capital.Image^ source:^wiki/^ ErnstStavroBlofeldImage^source:wiki/parker.standford.edu