Introduction
The Mongol Empire lasted between 1206 and 1368. During the time the empire’s only enemy was the British Empire. Genghis Khan founded the empire in 1206. The empire encompassed most of the radicals from both South East Asia and Eastern Europe. On the other hand, the Silk Road was a trade and cultural transmission network that was used to connect the Chinese and Asian urban dwellers with Mediterranean Sea, enabling interactions between these parties.
Both the Mongol Empire and the Silk Road made great contributions as far as bringing people closer was concerned. Three features that were significant about the subject of the Mongol Empire and Silk Road included culture, trade, and religion. The cultural, religious and trade factors formed the basis of strengthening and expansion of the Mongol Empire.
Culture
The Mongol Empire facilitated vast exchange of cultural values among different parties. Cultural exchanges were possible through trade. The exchange of cultural values increased interaction among the traders. These interactions assisted in enhancing the understanding of each other’s culture. The cultural exchanges enhanced knowledge of the diversity that existed among people of different backgrounds. As such, the traders became close to each other and encouraged intermarriages among people from the various cultures. The integration between the diverse cultures facilitated the growth of the empire.
Trade
Trade was a major activity within the Mongol Empire, with the Silk Road being a significant feature in this context. The trade involved people from the Middle East, the East, and the West. The trade was mostly dominated by the Chinese and their silk customers. In order to foster security, the Chinese erected a wall that was meant to protect their trade items and the trade route. Trade encouraged a lot of interaction among the traders and their customers.
Religion
The main religious orientation that ascribed in the empire was the Islamic. The religion served as the basis for enforcing peace within the empire. The ideology of Islamic Religion ensured that people in the empire ascribed to same rules that fostered peace; hence, people felt secure as they carried on with their businesses. The prevailing peace attracted other people to convert to Islamic faith. However, the empire enforced religious conformity according to the European doctrines.
Conclusion
The cultural, religious and trade formed the basis of strengthening and expansion of the Mongol Empire. Thus, the empire’s approach of unity through these three areas was successful in ensuring that people of diverse backgrounds were close and related well. As such, the success of the empire in bringing people close has been a subject by many researchers to date. Scientists have identified some of the influence of the empire as more direct. For example, statistics indicate that a Y-chromosome lineage is present in 0.5% of all men, which contribute to 8% of men in the Asian population. The pattern of disparity in the lineage is in line with the statistics obtained from the Mongol Empire more than 1000 years ago.
It is therefore, rational to conclude that both the Mongol Empire and the Silk Road were very instrumental in bridging the gap between various individuals, as well as groups of people. This re-union was greatly influenced by the creation of both social and economic meetings, which helped to conquer enemies and meet various challenges in future. From the foregoing, it suffices that the Mongol Empire is important in history because it played a significant role in unifying people, enhancing cultural interactions, as well as trade.