Was there an eastern equivalent of Marco Polo? Someone who traveled

>>363491
Zheng He, Ibn Battuta if you count the middle east

>>363498
>Ibn Battuta
I love his story, especially his travels through Africa.
He had a pretty odd sense of humor too.

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Does this count? You can read his book online.

>>363519

I'm just curious, after scanning through the wiki page.

Why does a Christian from China use an Aramaic name? At first I thought he was a Jewish guy.

I've been watching netflix's Marco Polo show and everyone knows he's a christian immediately. Was it just assumed anyone who looked European was Christian?

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Probably one of these. Either Ibn Khaldun or Ibn Batuta did, maybe both.

t. /lit/

>>363528
Nestorians

>>363533
There was a huge community of christians in central asia at the time. Even among the Mongols.

>>363536
Ibn Fadlan I meant, not Khaldun.

>>363538

11th century Nestorians used Aramaic?

>>363528

He was part of the Nestorian Chruch. The Nestorians were spread all across Asia but the head of the Church resided in Baghdad. The Church was led by the the Assyrian Christians of Iraq who spoke Aramaic. Bar Sauma probably took an Aramaic name when he converted.

IIRC Bar Rabban's Chinese buddy traveled with him and ended up becoming Patriarch of the church when they stopped in Baghdad.

>>363536
An Ottoman Traveler by Evilya Celebi is about a Turk touring Western Europe I believe.

>>363546
They still use it today