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On his journey eastward, Marco Polo traveled through the southern
part of the Chaghadai khanate.
In his memoirs,
he recalls the land's deserts, mountain passes, and the grasslands
with horses and herds of sheep. Much of the parts of Central
Asia controlled by the Chaghadai khanate are steppes much
like Mongolia. Because pastoralism was prevalent and urban
lifestyle less developed, the Mongols who settled in Central
Asia remained closer to their native traditions, moving their
tent compounds regularly and frequently vying with other Mongols
for territory, than did their relatives who ruled in Iran
and China. Although most of the population, especially in
western Central Asia, was Muslim, the Chaghadai khans did
not embrace the faith readily and many remained distrustful
of Islam.
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