Marco Polo's Voyage to Indian Seas: 38: Kingdom of Abascia

Abascia is a very great province, called Middle India.  Supreme monarch is a Christian.  The other six kings are subject to him, three believers and three Saracens.  The Christian people of this province have three marks upon their face, one from the forehead to the middle of the nose, and one on each cheek, and Saracens only one on the forehead and nose.  The great king
lives in the middle of the province, the Saracens towards Aden.  In this district Messer St Thomas the apostle preached, and after converting the inhabitants went to Maabar, where he died and his body remains as formerly mentioned. This country has many men-at-arms and well mounted cavelry, who are much needed; for wars are frequent with Sultans of Adens and Nubia and with other powers.  But I will tell you a memorable story of what happened in the year 1288. This king who is lord of over all Abascia wished to go in pilgrimage to adore sepulchre of Christ in Jerusalem. The barons represented the danger of the journey, and advised him to send a bishop or some other great prelate.The monarch having agreed, one of very holy life was chosen, who readily undertook the mission.  He was equipped most handsomely as a pilgrim, and travelled by land and sea
till he arrived at Jerusalem.  Repairing to the Sepulchre, he performed the due homage before an object so exalted; and having presented great offering from the king, and well fulfilled his mission, he set out on his return.  He passed through Aden, a country where Christians are hated as mortal enemies.  The governor, learning that
he professed this religion, and was a messenger of the sovereign of Abascia, warned him, that unless he embraced the law of Mohammed, he would suffer a shameful punishment.
The bishop replied, that he would sooner die.  The other, greatly enraged, ordered him to be forcibly circumcised, and then sent him away, telling him that this was meant as an affront to his master.  The prelate was much grieved, but consoled himself by thinking that he had suffered for the law of his faith, and God would recompense him in the other world.  As soon as he could travel, he proceeded to Abascia, and appeared before the king; who, having inquired about the Sepulchre, and being told of the whole truth, accounted it a most holy and pious visit.  The bishop then related the affront put upon him by the ruler of Aden, when his majesty fell into such a transport of grief and rage, that he almost died.  He called aloud in the hearing of all the bystanders, that he would never wear a crown, or rule a province, till he had taken such vengeance as should be taken of throughout the world.  Presently he prepared a vast body of troops on horseback and foot, also elephants with well armed castles, having twenty men upon each.  He then set out and marched directly onward to the territory of Aden.  Its chiefs, with a great multitude of Saracens on foot and horseback, came to defend their country, and a most obstinate battle was fought; but the enemy could not withstand the force of the king of Abascia, because the Christians are more valiant.  They fled and were slained in great numbers.  The victor, entering the country in three or four places, greatly wasted and destroyed it, killing many of the inhabitants.  He then thought the affront sufficiently avenged; and indeed he could affect no further devastation.

I will now relate other matters of Abascia, which yields a great variety of all things necessary for subsistence.

The people live on rice, milk, flesh and sesame, and have elephants brought from the isle of other India. Giraffe in great numbers; lions, leopards, ounces, wild apes and many beasts and birds different from ours.  The domestic fowls are most beautiful, and ostriches as large as asses.  Various beautiful parrots, and also monkeys and cats of two species.  Abascia contains numerous cities and castles, frequented by merchants.  Cloths of cotton and buckram.  I must now go to the province of Aden.

Notes:-

Abascia: Abyssinia or modern day Ethiopia.

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