When Asia Was the World

From the beginning, Asia has always had a huge impact on the history of the world. Without contributions from caliphs like Ibn Fadlan, traders like Abraham bin Yuji, and nobles such as Ibn Battuta, our world would be very different today. Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk, fled his Chinese monastery illegally to travel to India, and retuned after 17 years, around the same time the Tang dynasty began, where he later reunited with his brother, and remained a buddhist monk. Ibn Fadlan, a noble who traveled to Almish hoping to ally with him, was forced to take the long way around to avoid contact with enemies, but when he finally reached his destination was sent away by the king because he did not have the money to pay him. Ships were also an asset to Asian trading, carrying luxury items such as gold, tin and bronze; as well as glass beads informing us of trade in early Asia; specifically in the Intan shipwreck, we learned it was built from lash-lug method that allows the ship to end rather than break. Abraham bin Yuji, was a trader, who traveled through North African coast to spread introduction letters written by his father and traded many goods, pepper being the popular item. His letters remain because papers mentioning God were stored in Cairo's dry climate that persevered them perfectly, telling us of his travels were mainly influenced by family and religious ties. Ibn Battuta, a noble, traveled receiving wealth while he studied, made contacts, and was included in robes ceremonies, as well as seeing connections between trade and religion. A Chinese officer named Ma Huan, sailed documenting towns like Champa, Java, and Cochin which led to many important trade connections for the Chinese. Tomé Pires was a Portuguese apothecary and government scribe chosen to make the first diplomatic mission to China, but offended the government officials causing the execution of his expedition and his banishment from Beijing. Although Ibn Sina and Babur both began accomplishing their