Exploring Worlds: Adventure & Trade in Marco Polo & Ibn Battuta's Travels - Essay Sample

Introduction

Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta travelled between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries a time when recording events was difficult compared to today. When they returned home both Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta recorded their adventures, and from their stories, they were able to influence trade and travels in the areas they wrote about. From the excerpt of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, the first inference about long-distance trade is that it was mainly driven by adventure and leisure. About Ibn Battuta, his primary urge was to visit the lands occupied by fellow Muslims across Africa, Europe and Asia and the seas. Conversely, for Marco Polo, his main motive for long-distance travel was to look for trade opportunities and the inquisitiveness of novel concepts of the East and saw the opportunity for the trade of technology between the Eastern and Western cultures. Through these travels, Marco Polo was able to discover various trade routes such as the Silk Road which influenced long-distance trade and a significant factor in Chinese and European interaction.

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The second inference is that the effect of long-distance travel on religion and culture. Ibn Battuta travels began as he embarked on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and when he came back, his stories were recorded, and the outcome was the Rihla, a narration of travels focused on pilgrimage to Mecca. Rihla became an inspiration to other Muslims to start pilgrimage or hajj to Mecca, which has become a strong Muslim tradition to date. Also, the stories by Battuta taught other Muslims on cultural practices, places, and religious events in the Islamic world in the fourteenth century. Marco Polo also had an effect on culture in modern-day China, which began to encounter western culture. Although he was incapable of bringing plenty of westernization to China, Marco Polo raised an urge for prospective Europeans to partake in Eastern interaction. Through his book The Travels of Marco Polo, he triggered curiosity regarding the culture and civilization in the East, and Marco Polo greatly influenced the walk over the Atlantic by Christopher Columbus. Also, Marco Polo began bringing Christianity to the East. Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta although leaving their home for various reasons, both largely impacted travel and trade for the individuals who heard and read about their stories.

Impact of the Mongols on the History of Asia

The impact of Mongols on the history of Asia and the rest of the world is a positive one. In China, the Mongols introduced paper money and increased its circulation and ascertained the value of the paper money in valuable metals. The Mongols, also several built roads partly to promote trade and to facilitate its rule over China and also led to new political developments. Besides, Mongols invasion led to depopulation of the Middle East and Central Asia, and they lost their capacity to govern trade routes after navigation enhanced to avoid the Silk Road routes. Hence, this established novel opportunities from populations from the Eastern regions of Central Asia to largely migrate into other areas of the Middle East and Asia. Europe benefited from Mongols invasion as it aided in lowering prices in trade goods that started to flow greatly. Europeans also benefited from the flow of new knowledge that helped combine with changing attitudes, which led to the launch of the Renaissance.