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- The scholars presented and explained Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu manuscripts covering East Asia from the height of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century to the mid-20th century
RIYADH: A panel discussion on Tuesday shed light on the historical exchanges between East and West Asia that have taken place over the past 1,000 years.
The discussion, “The Worlds of Islam in Asia: A Millennium of Historical Exchange,” was presented by Hyunhee Park, professor of history at the City University of New York; Nile Green, professor of history at the University of California; and Francesco Calzolaio, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong.
Organized by the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, the discussion was moderated by Mohammad Al-Sudairi, head of the Asian studies program at the center.
The scholars presented and explained Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu manuscripts covering East Asia from the height of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century to the mid-20th century.
Park talked about the crucial role trade played in spreading knowledge, and how maritime commerce had significantly enhanced knowledge about China in particular by the mid-8th century.
She argued that the sophistication and strength of the maritime trade contributed to the development of the Islamic world, extending from the Indian Ocean to the China Sea.
Calzolaio talked about how people in the Islamic world in West Asia envisioned culture in East Asia before the Mongol empire reached the Middle East, and expressed this perspective through illustrations. Some artists had never been to China but their artwork included Chinese characters.
He talked about the only surviving manuscript of “The Treasure Book of the Ilkhan,” now in Istanbul, Turkiye, which explained a variety of topics in Chinese medicine through an Islamic lens with Chinese-style illustrations.