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Later, in Turkey, Genoese officials appropriated three-quarters of the family's wealth. By the time the group reached Persia's Port of Hormuz, just 18 people, including the princess and the Polos, were still alive. The journey proved harrowing, and many perished as a result of storms and disease. Traveling by sea, the Polos left with a caravan of several hundred passengers and sailors. In the end, he acquiesced to their request with one condition: They escort a Mongol princess to Persia, where she was to marry a Persian prince.
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Their decision was not one that pleased Khan, who'd grown to depend on the men. Journey Back to Europeįinally, after 17 years in Khan's court, the Polos decided it was time to return to Venice. His reporting offers little about himself or his own thoughts, but instead gives the reader a dispassionate reporting about a culture he had clearly grown fond of. 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. Polo's later stories showed him to be an early anthropologist and ethnographer.
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At one point, he was the tax inspector in the city of Yanzhou.įrom his travels, Polo amassed not only great knowledge about the Mongol empire but incredible wonder. Later, Khan appointed him as an official of the Privy Council. Niccolo and Maffeo were granted important positions in the leader's Court. Polo, too, impressed Khan, who thought highly of the young man's abilities as a merchant. Polo's immersion into the Chinese culture resulted in him mastering four languages.Īs the years wore on, Polo was promoted for his work. Khan's acceptance of the Polos offered the foreigners unparalleled access to his empire. His later account told of Khan's extensive communication system, which served as the foundation for his rule. Polo's book, in fact, devotes five pages to the elaborate structure, describing how the empire's information highway efficiently and economically covered millions of square miles. Yet his knowledge of the culture and its customs are hard to dismiss. There is no evidence outside his famous book that he traveled so far east. Debate has swirled among historians as to whether Polo ever really made it to China. However, they were away from Venice for more than 23 years. The Polos had originally planned to be gone for only a few years. Then, with luck, you may bring us some more.'"” “I believe it was God's will that we should come back, so that men might know the things that are in the world."” “So it would have been better for the Caliph if he had given away his treasure to defend his land and his people rather than died with all his people and bereft of everything."” “All things that saw and did and with whatever met of good or bad put in writing and so told all in order to lord."”įinally, after four years of travel, the Polos reached China and Kublai Khan, who was staying at his summer palace known as Xanadu, a grand marble architectural wonder that dazzled young Polo. They say to them: 'Go and fetch another cargo. I do reverence and honor to all four, so that I may be sure of doing it to him who is greatest in heaven."” “When the pirates capture a ship, they help themselves to both ship and cargo but they do not hurt the crew. With these pieces of paper they can buy anything and pay for anything."” “The Christians say that their God was Jesus Christ, the Saracens Mahomet, the Jews Moses and the idolaters Sakyamuni Burkhan. There is nothing at all to eat."” “All the emperors of the world and all the kings of Christians and Sacracens combined would not possess such power or be able to accomplish so much as this same Kubilai, the Great Khan."” “You might well say that has mastered the art of alchemy. Often these voices lure him away from the path and he never finds it again."” “I have not told half of what I saw.” “Without stones there is no arch.” “This desert is reported to be so long that it would take a year to go from end to end and at the narrowest point it takes a month to cross it. “When a man is riding through this desert by night and for some reason.