Marco Polo

Sham S Misri
Marco Polo travelled extensively with his family, journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295 and remaining in China for 17 of those years. He had his father and uncle with him. Around 1292, he left China, acting as companion along the way to a Mongol princess who was being sent to Persia. Marco Polo’s stories about his travels in Asia were published as a book  known as The Travels of Marco Polo.

Marco Polo was unable to recruit the 100 priests that Kublai Khan had requested. Finally they were left with only two, who, after getting a taste of the hard journey ahead of them, soon turned back for home. The Polos' journey took place on, land and they had to pass through harsh territory. His memory for the places and cultures he witnessed was remarkable and exceptionally accurate. Hardships, of course, came his way. In what is now Afghanistan, Marco was forced to retreat to the mountains in order to recoup from an illness he'd contracted.

Eventually, Kublai Khan employs Marco as a special envoy and he sent him to far-flung areas of Asia never before explored by Europeans, including Burma, India and Tibet. After 17 years in Khan's court, the Polos decided to return to Venice. Their decision did not please Khan. They had to escort a Mongol princess to Persia, where she was to marry a Persian prince. In the end, Kublai Khan agreed to their request. They travelled by sea and the Polos left with a caravan of several hundred passengers and sailors. The journey proved traumatic, and many perished as a result of storms and disease. By the time the group reached Persia's Port, just 18 people, including the princess and the Polos, were still alive. After two years of travel, the Polos reached Venice. They returned home after two decades, and their return to their native land undoubtedly had its difficulties. Their faces looked unfamiliar to their family and they struggled to speak their native tongue. Marco died at his home in Venice on January 8, 1324. As he lay dying, friends and fans of his book paid him visits, urging him to admit that his book was fiction. Marco wouldn't relent. "I have not told half of what I saw," he said.

Marco's story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world. Two centuries after Marco's passing, Columbus set off across the Atlantic in hopes of finding a new route to the Orient. With him was a copy of Marco Polo's book. From his travels, Marco Polo amassed not only great knowledge about the Mongol empire but incredible wonder. He marveled at the empire's use of paper money, an idea that had failed to reach Europe, and was in awe of its economy and scale of production.