about marcopolo histery

                                                                                                                      Marco polo

It is difficult to imagine how hard and dangerous it was to travel from one country to another six or seven hundred years ago. Men had to travel mainly by over-land routes. They had to move slowly as and when they got the change. Villages and towns were far apart. Many persons died on the way for lack of food and water. People had to travel with large parties, or caravans as they were called. Otherwise they could get lost. Bands of robbers knew these routes too. They attacked caravans and looted them. Many travelers were killed in the fighting that took place. Others died of hunger and thirst when every-thing they had stolen and taken away. Traveling was so dangerous in those days that hardly anyone who went on a long journey was sure of getting back home alive. Only persons of great courage could dare undertake long journeys which led them into strange lands and sometimes took years to complete. In the thirteenth century. Europe valued its trade with the East highly. India and China were believed to be rich beyond reach. Spices from the islands of South-East Asia could be sold in Europe at a great profit.

Marco polo was a young man who lived in Venice. He belonged to a family of rich merchants, and the city of Venice was the greatest centre in Europe of trade with the East.

In 1271, seventeen years old Marco polo started on a journey to China,then known as Cathay, with Niccolo polo his father, and Maffeo Polo his uncle. They traveled from Venice to Asia Minor, then crossed the Black Sea into the Crimea. From there they made their journey across the deserts of Persia and Afghanistan to the

Highland of the Pamirs. Then they crossed the great Gobi Desert and reached Peking. The journey

Took four years.

To us this seems a very long time for a journey. But in those days people probably thought themselves

Lucky that they were able to get anywhere at all. There were many cases of travellers killed on the way

Or captured and sold as slaves.

The Polo went to the court of Kublai Khan, a grandson of the famous Mongol invader, Genghis Khan. He

Was the ruler of a vast empire with its capital at peking.

Kublai Khan received the travellers with great kindness. Niccolo and Maffeo had already made a trip to China some years ago and were known to the Emperor.

Marco  polo set himself the task of learning the Mongol language. The Emperor was so pleased with him that he took into his service. He trusted Marco greatly and him many far away places on his behalf. One trip was made in 1287 to Burma and another, sometime later, to Ceylon. The trip to Ceylon was undertaken to bring the sacred tooth of Buddha for the Emperor. Later, Marco was made the governor of an important city.

In 1290, fifteen years after coming to peking, Marco Polo asked