The story of Marco Polo is one that is widely known across the Western world. His book was a bestseller not only in our time, but in his time during the 13th century as well. The tales of his travels ignited an exploring craze in Europe, eventually leading to the discovery of the New World and the colonization of the better part of the entire world by European adventure seekers. A lesser known contemporary to Marco Polo that attempted a similar feat was one Rabban Bar Sauma. He was what one could call the Marco Polo of the East, for he traveled from Beijing in China all the way to Bordeaux in France. 

Unlike Marco Polo, we know much of Rabban (which is equivalent to rabbi or a similar title) Bar Sauma’s early life. Born in Beijing around 1220, Sauma was a member of the Nestorian faith, an offshoot of Christianity. At the age of 20, he decided to become a monk, and lived in a cave spreading his religious teachings. Around 1260, Sauma and a younger pupil went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, passing through the vast Mongol Empire along the Silk Road, taking a similar route that Marco Polo would also use. Upon reaching Syria, however, they were turned away from their dream of visiting Jerusalem by alleged danger along the route. They instead visited Maragheh in modern day Iran for the selection of the new bishop of the Nestori Church. To Sauma’s surprise, it was his disciple, Rabban Marcos, that was selected. 

With Marcos the new leader of his faith, Sauma was assigned the task of being an envoy to secure a European-Mongol alliance to crush the Muslims and retake Jerusalem in 1287. Had such an alliance been formed, it would have proved decimating for the Muslims, who would be surrounded on both sides by a united foe. Invigorated with his new task, Sauma happily set off to visit the monarchs of Europe, begging them to help the Mongols.

Sauma’s first destination was Constantinople, where he met with the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II. Sauma was amazed at the beauty of the city, and wrote with wondrous prose about his time there. Despite the wonders of Constantinople, Sauma met little success, and soon turned elsewhere. He set off and landed in Sicily in 1287, where he watched Mount Etna erupt. He met with the Sicilian king, where he had no more luck than he did at Constantinople. Sauma traveled to Rome, but too late to see the Pope, who had died just weeks earlier. Instead of talking with the cardinals, he left the city and headed for France.

While in France, he met with King Edward I in Bordeaux in 1288. Edward greeted Sauma warmly, and treated him to lavish feasts. He still refused Sauma’s offer of a military alliance with the Mongols, however, citing domestic issues with the Scots and Welsh. Discouraged, Sauma returned back to Rome to meet with the newly elected Pope Nicholas IV. While equally as gracious as Edward I, the Pope also refused Sauma’s proposal, making Sauma return home empty-handed.

Hand Bar Sauma embarked on his journey just a century earlier, the Pope and the monarchs of Europe would have readily accepted his offer, for they were still caught up in religious fervour over the Crusades. By the late 13th century, however, that excitement had died down. The Europeans had lost most of their land in the Middle East, and were not too ready to send off thousands more of their own soldiers to die in a land they’d never seen. 

Sauma traveled to Baghdad where he lived out the rest of his days. While in Baghdad, Sauma wrote an account of his travels. It was nowhere near as successful as Marco Polo’s book, but provided an interesting juxtaposition to Polo’s travels. In 1928, Sauma’s account was translated and published in English under the name The Monks of Kublai Khan, Emperor of China. Thanks to Sauma, modern day historians are able to see how the West viewed the East, and the East viewed the West. Rabban Bar Sauma will never be remembered and honoured in the same way that Marco Polo is, but it is only just that he too be talked about, and given the title of the Marco Polo of the East. 

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