The worlds of Central Asia and the Indian Ocean have been seen as discrete, seemingly unconnected except by way of the vertical silk roads descending through feeder routes into port cities situated along the Indian Ocean and its many seas, gulfs, and bays. Before Central Asia lost historical centrality and was regarded increasingly as a blank space on the map, it was a dynamic region. The Indian Ocean world with its spice, cotton, and silk routes was more known, having entered European geographical knowledge— and fantasy—from antiquity. The two worlds—terrestrial and oceanic—have been seen as diametrically opposed, with historiography privileging the latter. This essay links the two worlds by evoking people, places, and mobility through the legend of Prester John, a mysterious Christian monarch and putative ally against Muslims.

中文翻译：

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人，地方和流动性：横跨印度洋的Prester John的奇异历史

中亚和印度洋的世界被认为是离散的，似乎没有任何联系，只是通过一条垂直的丝绸之路，通过支线航线下降到位于印度洋及其许多海洋，海湾和海湾的港口城市。在中亚失去历史中心地位并日益被视为地图上的空白区域之前，它是一个充满活力的地区。印度洋世界以其香料，棉花和丝绸之路而闻名，从古代开始进入欧洲地理知识和幻想。陆地和海洋这两个世界被视为截然相反，而史学使后者处于特权地位。本文通过讲述神秘的基督教君主和反对穆斯林的公认盟友普雷斯特·约翰（Prester John）的传说，通过唤起人，地方和流动性来联系两个世界。