Legendary medieval traveller Marco Polo (1254–1324) journeyed from Europe to China from 1271 to 1295 and remained in the emperor's lands for 17 years. Moreover, his self-narrated memoir, entitled The Description of the World, earned him overnight popularity in Europe and authority on The Orient for centuries. Marco Polo's stardom obscured contemporary Muslim merchants despite their pivotal role in commercial affairs along the Silk Road.
In his talk, Fudan University Associate Professor Yihao Qiu introduces Iranian merchant Fakhr al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Ṭībī, his native Arab-Iranian family based on the Island of Kish, his community's role in monopolising the Indo-Persian maritime trade network of the Persian Gulf – an international centre of trade from the 1270s onwards – and Fakhr al-Dīn's several journeys.