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Muslims in History
Zheng He 1371 - 1433 or 1435
Also known as Ma He, he was a Ming dynasty diplomat and explorer under the Yongle Emperor whom he was a favourite of. Though he was captured and castrated to serve as a eunuch for the young Yongle Emperor, they would build a strong level of trust.
It would be Zheng He who would assist with the overthrow of the Jianwen Emperor. Zheng He would become the leader of the famous Ming dynasty fleets, travelling to modern day Indonesia and to places as far as Arabia and the Horn of Africa. They not only traded with various civilisations but also sought diplomacy with them, which was done through a vast number of translators, many of whom studied at the foreign language institute set up in the city Zheng He governed, Nanjing.
Along with rare animals and royal gifts, Zheng He brought many diplomats back to China. It is unclear when Zheng He died, with some suggesting that he died during his last voyage and was buried at sea. Many countries still have memorials to Zheng He due to the influence he and his fleet has on those nations.