لخّصلي

15th-century Europe, grappling with feudalism, economic hardship, and religious conflict, experienced a Renaissance fostering intellectual and scientific growth. A key driver was the desire for a direct sea route to Asia, bypassing the Ottoman-controlled Silk Road and its lucrative Asian goods. Marco Polo's accounts fueled this ambition. Portugal spearheaded exploration, with Prince Henry the Navigator leading voyages down Africa's west coast. Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, proving access to the Indian Ocean. Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498, establishing a direct trade route and boosting Portugal's global influence. Simultaneously, Columbus, seeking a westward route to Asia, landed in the Bahamas in 1492, inadvertently discovering the Americas. These voyages, while initiating transatlantic trade and cultural exchange, also marked the beginning of European colonization of the Americas.

The Journey to Find Asia and Discover a New World:
Our story begins in 15th century Europe, where life was full of challenges. Feudalism was prevalent , leading to social inequality , and Europe suffered from economic challenges, religious conflicts, and diseases , creating difficult conditions.
But with the beginning of the Renaissance , Europe began to witness cultural and intellectual growth , which led to scientific discoveries and achievements in art and literature . The most important of these was the desire to find a direct sea route to Asia to avoid the overland Silk Road controlled by the Ottoman Empire.
Demand for Asian goods, such as spices and silk, was high in Europe . Marco Polo , the Italian explorer, was one of the first Europeans to travel the Silk Road to Asia, and his arrival at the court of Kublai Khan aroused European curiosity about the riches of the East.
Marco Polo's book The Travels of Marco Polo helped inspire more European explorers to search for a sea route to Asia.
Portugal was one of the first countries to set out on voyages of exploration, led by Prince Henry the Navigator . Their voyages focused on the west coast of Africa in search of a route to India.
In 1488 , Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias managed to sail around the southern tip of Africa , which he named the Cape of Good Hope , thus proving that the Indian Ocean was accessible.
Then came Vasco da Gama , the famous Portuguese explorer, who achieved the desired goal, reaching Calcutta, India in 1498 , establishing a direct trade route between Europe and Asia and strengthening Portugal's position as a world trading power.
Portugal's exploration of a sea route to Asia led to the establishment of colonies and trading posts along the coasts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, strengthening its dominance in the spice trade.
But at the same time, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus was trying to find a sea route to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean, with the support of the Spanish monarchy.
In 1492, Columbus sailed with three ships , and after a long and challenging journey, he reached an island in the present-day Bahamas , believing he had reached Asia.
Although Columbus never reached Asia, his voyages led to the discovery of the Caribbean, Central and South America , ushering in a new era of exploration, colonization and trade between Europe and the Americas .
These voyages of discovery marked the beginning of a new era in world history , as they led to extensive cultural and commercial exchange , but also to the colonization of the indigenous peoples of the Americas .