Mongol Journal

It’s the year 1275, and as my brother and I draw closer to the Great Khan’s empire, I am nearly immobilized with fear at the thought of the Mongols. While traveling here, I was able to hear many stories from all across Eurasia of how brutal and barbarous the Mongols are. In Persia, I heard a tale about the Great Khan and his army of at least ten thousand warriors, strategically placed in squads of a thousand and a hundred each. The story was that ten of these squads invaded part of Russia and completely demolished the cities of Moscow and Kiev. I heard that they killed all the men, women, children and even the animals in both these cities without shedding a single tear. Many people in Persia warned me of the Great Khan's savage-like ways and military strategies, as did people in China and even traders along the way who came from Russia. Some even warned me that whenever the Great Khan’s army would become hungry or thirsty, they would drink the blood of their horses if they were on the brink of starvation by opening a vein in the horses neck and letting the blood spew into their mouths. I was petrified by the idea that my brother and I would be living under the same roof as one Kublai Khan who employed such cannibalistic beasts, but hopefully the Great Khan will spare us as we learn about the Mongolian culture.

Seventeen years later, I am a new man. The Marco Polo I once was, one filled with terror at the thought of the Great Khan, is no more. I've come to my senses and realized that the Mongols are very intelligent and cunning in everything they do. When my brother and I first met the Great Khan, he greeted us with gifts and hospitality. He asked us lots of questions about Venice and genuinely seemed to care about our well being and our culture. While traveling through his empire, we noticed people of many different personalities, cultures and religions, all feeling just as welcomed as we felt. People of different religions could pray and go about their rituals without scorn or judgement. During our time in Khan’s territory, we were able to go on many missions and taste different foods, witness things we’d never seen, and experience advanced weaponry. Kublai Khan was able to teach us various aspects of his own culture, and I feel as if I've grown as a person because of it. Without a doubt, I've made a friend in Kublai Khan. I can easily say that this is the most diverse and unrestricted but well kept empire I've ever seen.

Mongols' good and bad traits are very controversial. Like the Mongols, the Roman Empire in the third century A.D. prompts similar controversy over its good and bad traits. Although the Mongol Empire only reigned for 185 years and the Roman Empire lasted for much longer, both empires conquered a vast amount of territory. Mongolian territory expanded from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean, while the Roman empire expanded from the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Multiple rulers in both the Mongolian empire and Roman empires were power hungry, feared nothing, and had no remorse as to the number of murders that went on each day. Such rulers include Kublai Khan of the Mongols and Diocletian, an emperor of Rome in 305 A.D. Although these empires seemed great because they ruled such expansive amounts of land, in reality, the people who were ruled by these empires did not think highly of them at all because the empires conquered and oppressed or slaughtered many people. After many years of famine and disease, many wanted to revolt. Despite the way the civilians of these civilizations viewed their rulers, there were inventions of things such as paper and the compass. More people converted to Christianity or Buddhism, and military strategy vastly improved during this time. All of these helped shape many parts in today’s daily lifestyles in modern day Rome and China, both the good and the bad.





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