The Travels of Marco Polo and Ibn

Battuta“Crossing the World”

ROLE-PLAYING Group Activity

Doc 7.2 and 7.3 - Pages 347-354

WHY DID THE HAN FAMILY OPEN AND EXTEND THE SILK ROADS?THE CHINESE WANTED TO MAKE A PROFIT ($) FROM SELLING SILK AND THE WEALTHY WANTED ACCESS TO GOODS FROM OTHER LOCATIONS.

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE TRAVELING ON THE SILK and Trans-Saharan ROADS?

• It was more than one road - actually a network of caravan routes that stretched across Eurasian

• Developed over time by many traders, empires, and merchants

• Almost no one traveled the whole route. Most people bought and sold goods on either end of one segment of the route.

Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad - Din, was born at Tangier, Morocco, on the 24th February 1304 C.E. (703 Hijra). He left Tangier on Thursday, 14th June, 1325 C.E. (2nd Rajab 725 A.H.), when he was twenty one years of age. His travels lasted for about thirty years, after which he returned to Fez, Morocco at the court of Sultan Abu 'Inan and dictated accounts of his journeys to Ibn Juzay. These are known as the famous Travels (Rihala) of Ibn Battuta. He died at Fez in 1369 C.E.

Ibn Battuta was the only medieval traveler who is known to have visited the lands of every Muslim ruler of his time. He also travelled in Ceylon (present Sri Lanka), China and Byzantium and South Russia. The mere extent of his travels is estimated at no less than 75,000 miles, a figure which is not likely to have been surpassed before the age of steam.

The Travels of Ibn Battuta

What were trade cities/towns really like for merchants, traders, travelers, and the people living

in them?

• Varied depending on region, but most had these things in common

1. Lack of sanitation systems

2. Extreme poverty in many of the populations of people

3. Ostentatious wealth of the elite

4. Absence of building codes

5. Prevalence of diseases

6. Some government control of traders

Imagine that your group is following Ibn Battuta in the 14th Century as he travels from Timbuktu to Chang’an

with a pit stop in Bactra.

• As a group review this PPT and read the information on Ibn Battuta

• Answer the following questions on a fresh piece of paper. (one per group)

1. What types of transportation and supplies will we need?

2. What is the best route? How long might that route take?

3. What types of weather, environments, and geographic elements will be have to endure?

4. What types of people, civilizations, empires, and religions will be encounter?

5. What are the possible dangers?

ITEMS TRADED ALONG THE SILK ROAD

OUD

BACTRIAN CAMELS

GLASS

CARPETS

METAL WORK

PORCELAIN

JADESPICES

SILK

WHEAT

WINE

BEER

How long would these items last?

Animals

Banditsand

MonksMerchants

People

Mountains,Deserts,Oases

(plural of oasis)

Places

Our Silk Roads journey starts in China.

In the Chinese city of Chang’an (#1), merchants load fine silk cloth

and herbal medicines ontotwo-humped Bactrian camels.

Between Chang’an (#1) and Dunhuang (#4):

Bandits from Mongolia or Tibetmay attack caravans.

Therefore, Chinese soldiers must travel with the caravans.

In this satellite image,the green color tells us about

vegetation. Green areas have enough water

for trees and crops.

Which colors indicate drier areas or deserts?

We will explore the Silk Roads using a satellite image.Find dry areas near the numbered Silk Road towns.

tan

Dunhuang (#4) is an importantBuddhist religious center.

Buddhist monks traveled along the Silk Roadand brought Buddhismfrom India to China.

Taklamakan Desert (“if you go in, you won’t come out”):

Caravans must travel through this desertbefore the heat of summer hits.

Rivers carry melted snow down from high

mountains!

High, snow-coveredmountainssurround theTaklamakan.

Oasis towns are located along theedge of the Taklamakan Desert.

Kashgar (#10) is an oasis town,where local merchants trade their

dates, melons, and grapesfor silk that the caravans bring from China.

Pamir Mountains (between #10 and #13): The route continues through mountains

and is called the “Trail of Bones”because the route is dangerously

steep and cold.

Why did the Chinese travel this far west (to Central Asia)?

The highest elevations are purple

and dark gray.

Pamir Mountains: Between Kashgar (#10) and

Tashkent (#13),caravans climbed the

“Trail of Bones” throughthe high, steep Pamirs.

Pamir Mountains: Elevations are above 10,000 feet.

It is extremely cold, and there is no food.

The highest elevations are purple

and dark gray.

Why cross the Pamirs?

In Tashkent (#13), Chinese military use silk

to purchase the strong horsesraised in the grasslands

of Central Asia.

In Tashkent (#13),local merchants also sell

fine locally made wool carpetsas well as musical instruments

and glass objectsthat have come from

Europe and the Middle East.

Dromedary camels from Arabia

are usedfrom here westward.

#20 and #21 send spices and cotton cloth

from Indiaand precious stones from

Ceylon.

In Herat (#17), a great Islamic mosque stands

near the city market.People from Arabia

brought the religion of Islam

to Silk Road towns.

Tyre (#27): Goodsare loaded onto ships in this port city on theMediterranean Sea.

In Baghdad (#24),ivory, gold, and spices

from Africaand pearls from the

Persian Gulfare exchanged for silk.In Byzantium (#28),

few people know where China is,

but wealthy people want the silk that has traveled

along the Silk Roads.

Silk Road towns connected the largest citiesof the West and East in 100 CE.

Silk Road towns connected the largest citiesof the West and East in 800 CE.