53 pages • 1 hour read
John MandevilleThe Travels of Sir John Mandeville
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1356A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 14-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary: “Of the City of Damascus; of Three Routes to Jerusalem, One by Land and by Sea, and the Next More by Land Than by Sea, and the Third All by Land”
Mandeville says he will now demonstrate routes to back to Europe. First, one may go to Damascus, a rich city. Next is the city of Arqa, which has a miraculous wooden icon of Mary that often transforms into flesh and oozes medicinal oil. Eventually one will reach Tripoli and then Beirut, where St. George killed the dragon. From here, one can sail to Tyre or Cyprus and begin the return journey.
Having discussed the longest and most complicated route people can follow to see Jerusalem (via Cairo and Sinai), Mandeville details other options. One option, almost entirely oversea, is sailing from an Italian port to Greece, to Cyprus, and then to Jaffa. Another option is sailing to Greece from an Italian port, moving overland to Constantinople, and then passing through Turkey and into Syria. After reaching Damascus, a traveler can follow the Jordan to the Dead Sea. A completely overland route is also possible, moving through Germany, Russia, and the Mongolian Steppe and then passing down through the Caspian Gates and into Turkey and Syria. Mandeville says he has visited countries near this route and that they are exceptionally cold.
