Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 5: The Year 598

Earthquake, and hiding kings, in Revelation, 14th century - (British Library)

Another year of drought, another of famine, and even more disasters pile on for the early-13th-century Egyptians. We also see Abd al-Latif make a surprising 20th-century appearance.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

Sources:

• Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī. A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years. NYU Press, 2021.

• Barber, Malcolm. The Crusader States. Yale University Press, 2012.

• Dols, Michael Walters. The Black Death in the Middle East. Princeton University Press, 2019.

• Ellis, Richard. Imagining Atlantis. Knopf, 2012.

• Modern, John. Neuromatic: Or, A Particular History of Religion and the Brain. University of Chicago Press, 2021.

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Marco and the Polos 3: Marco and the Great, Great Khan

Marco Polo was a tremendous admirer of Kublai Khan and of his Genghisid legacy more generally. This episode, we explore that admiration, the character of Kublai, and the anecdote of the treacherous minister. You'll hear about the khan at his summer palace of Shangdu, the rebellion of Nayan (with the support of Kaidu), the role of Liu Bingzhong, and the story of Ahmed. I also posted a written addition to this episode here. 

(MP3)

If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here.

Sources:

• The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, translated by William Marsden, edited by Thomas Wright. George Bell & Sons, 1907.

• Larner, John. Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World. Yale University Press, 1999.

• Man, John. Marco Polo: The Journey that Changed the World. HarperCollins, 2009.

• Olschki, Leonardo. Marco Polo's Asia. University of California Press, 1960.

• Rossabi, Morris. Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times. University of California Press, 1988.

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