Rabban Sauma

Type Figure Region Yuan dynasty Time 1220–1294 Also known as Rabin Bar Sauma、Sauma

A Nestorian (Church of the East) monk born in Dadu under the Yuan dynasty, he later traveled west to Persia and after 1287 was sent on a mission to E…

Timeline

1261–1270Dadu · DaduHe practiced in the Nestorian community at Dadu and, with his companion Marcus, resolved to travel west on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. During this period he engaged in religious activities in northern China under Mongol rule, laying the groundwork for his later journey across Central Asia to Persia.
1275–1281Persia · PersiaSetting out westward from Dadu, he was unable to reach Jerusalem because of war, so he settled in Persia, gained the trust of the Ilkhanate rulers, and later held an important church office.
1287–1288Europe · RomeSent by Ilkhan Arghun on a mission to Europe, he met the pope, the king of France, and the king of England to discuss joint action against the Mamluks, a rare eastward envoy visiting the west in the 13th century.

Sources

The History of Yaballaha III, Nestorian Patriarch, and of his Vicar, Bar Sauma — James A. Montgomery (1927)
Rabban Sauma and the Journey to the West — Morris Rossabi