21 - Expanding Horizons of Cross-Cultural Interactions

Question 1

Ibn Battuta

Answer 1

• One of greatest world travelers
• Visited equivalent of 44 modern countries
• 14th century Moroccan
• Islamic judge (qadi)
• Note that expansion of Islam meant that Islamic judges and scholars were needed in newly converted lands to help instill Islamic values
• Account of travels is among classic works of travel literature

Question 2

3 most important motives for long distance travel between 1000 and 1500 CE

Answer 2

• trade
• missionary
• diplomacy

Question 3

Marco Polo

Answer 3

best-known long-distance traveler
Venetian
13th -14th century
Polo family among first Europeans to visit China
Trader
Polo family among first Europeans to visit China
Stories f
rom Marco Polo’s travels circulated quickly in Europe
Diplomat for Khubilai Kahn among other administrative positions
Remember that Mongols didn’t respect or trust Chinese and therefore preferred foreign administractors

Question 4

Two principal networks of trade routes

Answer 4

Silk road
high value relative to weight, i.e. silk textiles, precious stones
Indian Ocean
bulkier commodities such as steel and building materials
Between two everywhere in Eastern hemisphere is linked

Question 5

Did Mongols convert to Christianity

Answer 5

No. Christian and Mongols were both interested in defeating Muslims
In 1295 the ilkhan of Persia converted to Islam and ended the possibility of an alliance between the Mongols of Persia and Europe Chrisitans

Question 6

Christian Missionaries