The Yam's Flying Tigers: Mongol Postal Aviation Experiments

Long before hot-air balloons or airplanes, the Mongol Empire tried to conquer the sky. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the little-known history of Mongol postal aviation experiments in the 13th century. Drawing on the Yuan shi and Persian chronicles, they uncover the story of Jamal al-Din—astronomer, inventor, and the architect of a flying machine that never quite got off the ground. They discuss the role of the Yam in transmitting these ideas across Eurasia, the fusion of Chinese and Persian engineering traditions, and the practical and philosophical limits of pre-modern flight. Along the way, they touch on Marco Polo's reports of 'flying machines' at Khanbalik, the silk-and-bamboo prototypes launched from watchtowers, and why Ögedei Khan personally vetoed the project. It's a tale of ambition, ingenuity, and the quiet tragedies of history—a reminder that the Mongol Empire's reach extended not just across continents, but into the very air. #MongolEmpire #Yam #JamalAlDin #YuanShi #MarcoPolo #Khanbalik #ÖgedeiKhan #AviationHistory #SilkRoad #PersianAstronomy #ChineseInvention #SteppeTechnology #Kites #PreModernFlight #CentralAsia #History #FexingoHistory #MongolInventions Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo