This book examines three pre-modern era travel accounts to show the effects of the commercial milieu on personal religious identity of individuals. Afanasii Nikitin (1468?74), a Russian merchant from Tver', Nicolo de Conti (1419?44), a merchant from Venice, and Ludovico de Varthema (1503?08), an adventurer from Bologna, each left detailed records of their everyday encounters with Muslims, Hindus, and Christians during their travels through India. Their accounts reveal that foreign merchants converted to Islam for different reasons and in various degrees, and that conversion to Islam varied from region to region. Their unique perspective on the challenges faced by individuals conducting business in the dar al-Islam (the region where Muslim authorities held power) presents an original perspective on the relationship between trade and religion in the pre-modern world.