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The Book of the Wonders of India

Detail from the “Catalan Atlas.” Source: gallica.bnf.fr

Detail from the “Catalan Atlas.” Source: gallica.bnf.fr

Today's topic is the Kitāb ʻajāyib Al-Hind, or the Book of the Wonders of India, a 10th-century collection of wonders covering east Africa all the way to what might have been Japan. It's something of a sequel to the Abu Zayd episode. I mentioned there that the compiler avoided including the fanciful fables of the sea that sailors were so fond of spreading. This text, on the other hand, is full of them.

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

Sources:

  • The Book of the Marvels of India, translated by Peter Quennell. George Routledge And Sons, 1928.

  • Freeman-Grenville, G.S.P. "Some Thoughts on Buzurg ibn Shahriyar al-Ramhormuzi: 'The Book of the Wonders of India.'" Paideuma, vol. 28, 1982, pp. 63–70.

  • Manteghi, Haila. Alexander the Great in the Persian Tradition: History, Myth and Legend in Medieval Iran. I.B Tauris, 2018.

  • Ogden, Jack. Diamonds: An Early History of the King of Gems. Yale University Press, 2018.

  • Prioreschi, Plinio. A History of Medicine: Medieval Medicine. Horatius Press, 1996.

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Marco and the Polos 6: The Grand Tour

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Marco Polo Catalan Atlas

It's the grand tour of the world, or at least that part of it from Southeast Asia to the African coast, and you are taking it with/as Marco Polo. There will be monstrous birds, cannibals, the spice trade, and quite a lot of date wine. There'll be the beginning of the Buddha and the end of Saint Thomas. You'll visit 13th-century Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Oman. Thanks for listening!

(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.

  • The Travels of Marco Polo: The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition, translated by Henry Yule and revised by Henri Cordier. Courier Corporation, 1993.

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