H vocab

Astrolabe

An ancient, portable astronomical instrument and analog calculator used to measure the altitude of celestial bodies, tell time, determine latitude, and map the night sky.

Caravanserai

A historic roadside inn or fortified resting station built along ancient trade routes like the Silk Road for travelers to rest and restock before heading back out.

Diaspora

The scattering or dispersion of a group of people from their original, ancestral homeland to other regions around the world.

Genghis Khan

A Mongolian warrior-ruler who united the nomadic tribes of the steppe to found the Mongol Empire. Through brilliant military strategy and merit-based reforms, he expanded his realm into the largest contiguous land empire in history, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea before his death in 1227.

Ibn Battuta

A 14th-century Moroccan Muslim scholar and explorer who traveled roughly 75,000 miles across Africa, the Middle East, India, and China over nearly 30 years. His famous travelogue, known as The Rihla, provides a rare and detailed look into the medieval world.

Junk Ship

A type of flat-bottomed sailing ship originating from China, known for its distinctive wind-catching sails and used for trade, fishing, and transportation along coastal and inland waterways.

Khanates

A political entity or territory ruled by a khan, which is a title for a ruler or military commander in Central Asian, Mongol, and Turkic cultures.

Kublai Khan

The fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire and the founder of China's Yuan Dynasty. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail attached to a long, angled pole called a yard, which is mounted on a ship's mast.

Magnetic Compass

A navigational instrument that uses a freely moving magnetized needle or card to align with the Earth's magnetic field, showing directions such as north, south, east, and west.

Marco Polo

A famous Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer. He was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia and document the Mongol Empire and the court of Kublai Khan.

Nomadism

A way of life where communities do not live in one settled place permanently, but instead move from one location to another.

Pax Mongolica

(Latin for "Mongol Peace") describes the period of relative stability, peace, and security across Eurasia during the 13th and 14th centuries under the unified rule of the Mongol Empire.

Trans-Saharan Trade

A major network of commercial routes crossing the Sahara Desert, connecting West Africa with North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the broader Islamic world.

Uyghur Script

The writing systems used to write the Uyghur language, most notably the Uyghur Arabic Alphabet (UEY), which is an official modified Perso-based Arabic alphabet containing 32 characters.

Zheng He

A celebrated Chinese Ming dynasty admiral, diplomat, and explorer who commanded seven massive maritime expeditions across Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and East Africa.