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The Spellbound Wanderer - On a way of Marco Polo

For many centuries the Great Silk Road connected a complex network of trade routes from Europe with Asia. It was a way to establish contact with the great civilizations of China, India, the Near East and Europe. Trade caravans, diplomatic missions, merchants, representatives of religious circles, dervishes, warriors - millions people have passed on this road through time with nothing frightening these brave travelers, neither the difficult roads, nor the waterless deserts. Those were extraordinary hardy and strong-willed people. Among them was Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who embarked on the Silk Road for trade and good fortune. He was awe-struck by ail he had seen during his years of travel through the countries of East, and his journey fasted almost a quarter of a century, as he became the inquisitive researcher of unknown grounds. "This Spellbound wanderer" left his descendants a most interesting "Book" in which he tried to explain how Europeans perceived the East - a writing that has made a great impact on the development of world culture.

By the 13th century, of all the countries on the Great Silk Road, the most extensive and powerful country was the Mongolian empire, which spread across Northern China, Eastern and Western Turkistan {Central Asia), Iran, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. The khans controlled the markets, which sold jewelry, fabrics, furs, and various items of luxury. These markets attracted, firstly, Asian tradesmen, and later merchants from Western Europe.

Marco Polo

In 1260, two Venetian merchants - Nikkolo and Maffeo (the father and uncle of Marco Polo) left for the East taking the "northern way". This caravan journey lasted for a whole year, and finished in the residence of great Kublai Khan. From Marco Polo's "Book" it is known that his father and uncle made a successful trade agreement during this first year of travel and when returning to China after two years, the brothers decided to take seventeen-year-old Marco with them. They had no idea that this decision would be such a historically significant decision.

Marco Polo's journey with his father and uncle in China, bearing a message to the great Kublai Khan from the Head of the Catholic Church, Father Gregory X, began in 1271. Their route passed through modern Akka (Israel) to the Persian Gulf, then to the north through Iran to Amu Darya, and on to Oksus (Aral sea), through the Pamir mountains to modern Sinkiang (an Uigur area), and then finally through the Gobi Desert to Shangtu.

The Venetians were greeted with great honor and soon appeared in the presence of the great Khan. Young Marco was especially liked by Kublai Khan who gave him authority as his personal envoy. Using this authority Marco Polo traveled to the provinces of China, carrying out numerous, mainly diplomatic assignments. These trips, coupled with his natural curiosity and magnificent memory, allowed Marco to get acquainted with the lifestyles of the people of this mysterious country, and subsequently, to document a unique and descriptive story about his findings and impressions. It is known that he went overland from Bukhara to China - in part of his book he wrote about visiting Samarkand.

The Venetians stayed for 17 years in the service of Kublai Khan. Most of their return journey was done by sea around the coast of South-East Asia, Hindustan, visiting many seaports on the way. They arrived in Venice in 1295, completing the greatest journey of that time -not only in distance but also in time.

The merit of Marco Polo exists in his work, which was originally referred to a "Book about the variety of the world" in which he describes various Asian countries, cities and regions, along with the life and customs of their inhabitants, the court of the great Khan of the Mongols and Chinese Emperor, Kublai Khan. This book is especially valuable not only as a great reference work, but also because of the personal input of the author -the first European to have crossed all of Central Asia. It contains interesting personal accounts of his travels as well as information abut his father and uncle. The "Book" was originally written in French, and then translated into many European languages. It has become one of the most famous literary compositions of the 13th century, and has influenced the development of culture in Western Europe - the only piece of writing of its kind. It is said that Christopher Columbus studied the "Book" before leaving for his historical journey to the coasts of the New World. The famous traveler, Vambery (19th century) also refers to this book in terms of Iran, Afghanistan and India.

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