Answer the following question: Why did Columbus sail west trying to reach the “Khan” of China, to enlist his help to provide the Spanish crown with gold to fund a Crusade to conquer Jerusalem? Write a formal essay explaining the role of the Islamic world and South Asia in this event–specifically, their role in Columbus’ quest to reach China. Your goal in this paper is to explain the relevance of the Islamic world and South Asia to as many different details of the event as possible: the technology and science necessary for Columbus’s voyage, the political history of Spain, the political history of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, the way information about China reached Columbus, the general connectedness of the world, and Spain’s rivalry with Portugal, and perhaps other aspects as well. For each claim that you make, you must identify sources of evidence. Your evidence must include at least 3 primary sources, which can be texts or other artifacts (buildings, objects, &c.). Two hints for completing option 2 successfully: 1) Interaction between Christian Europe and the Islamic world is a big part of the context in which Columbus sailed. This includes both hostile interaction (the Arab and Ottoman conquests, the Crusades) and cooperative interaction (spread of information, technology, trade). If you discuss only one of these, you are missing a big part of the picture. 2) Marco Polo’s book (called Description of the World) was important–we actually still have Columbus’ copy with his notes!–but it was also a widely mistrusted book and not the only way information about China reached him. Also, Marco Polo himself depended on infrastructure and trade networks created by all the many societies and states between China and Europe.