Which traveler documented experiences in East Asia and the Mongol court, becoming famous for his journeys?

• A. Marco Polo
• B. Ibn Battuta
• C. Zheng He
• D. Christopher Columbus

Answer: (A)

Travel writing that records firsthand encounters with distant rulers and places shows how knowledge about East Asia spread in the medieval world. Marco Polo spent years at the court of Kublai Khan in China, part of the Mongol empire, and his detailed travels became a famous account that described the wealth, cities, and customs of East Asia. That combination of living at the Mongol court and detailing his experiences makes him the traveler in question. The other figures traveled in different regions or under different rulers: Ibn Battuta’s journeys were through the Islamic world and beyond, Zheng He’s voyages occurred under the Ming and focused on the Indian Ocean, and Christopher Columbus explored the Americas.