Xuanzang & Ibn Battuta

Traveler’s Tales and Observations in the Post-Classical Period

Background• Each of these documents was written by an

outsider to the people or society he is describing.– Ibn Battuta mostly travelled throughout the MUSLIM

world (75,000 miles in all)• At the time was WAY bigger than the Christian world• He was born in Morocco• Often not too happy about the way Islam was being

practiced by “newer” converts• In this document, he is in West Africa (Mali) in 1354 after

crossing the Sahara with a caravan.

–Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who travelled to India with the goal of getting a better understanding of the religion from its source.• Spends 10 years travelling around India• Returns to China and spends the remainder

of his life translating Buddhist texts into Chinese• Some of his writings are observations of life

in India in the 8th Century

Today’s Class• Using the Venn diagram and the documents provided,

find at least three differences for each document, two similarities between each. Pay special attention to:– How their journey and observations show the extent and

limitations of cultural interactions – the purpose of the trips– where they went– how they viewed the people that they came across– the point of view of each author– what they chose to write about an even what they chose

NOT to write about – it’s all fair game.• This is a difficult assignment - take your time and really

try to analyze each document.