What role to travelers play in cultural diffusion?

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

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

Marco Polo’s Travels

Mansa of the Mali Empire Mansa Musa Mansa of the Mali Empire Hajj in 1324-1325 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

Hajj of Mansa Musa

Moroccan Legal Scholar Ibn Battuta Moroccan Legal Scholar Hajj in 1325-1326 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….

Travels of Ibn Battuta

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…

Ming Treasure Ships

Voyages of Zheng He