| The Travels of Marco Polo Essay
Marco Polo is one of the outstanding travelers of all times. His travel to Asia lasted about twenty-four years. He travelled through China and beyond Mongolia. He described all his travels very detailed and these descriptions became the best journey stories.
Marco Polo was born in the noble family in 1254. The certain place of his birth is not still established. Some sources inform that he was born on the coast of Dalmatia while others inform that he was born in Venice. Marco got an ordinary education. He was good at theology of Latin Church. He knew French and Italian. He knew and understood the texts of the Bible.
Marco Polo father and uncle traveled at first time to Cathay. Cathay is the old name of China. Their journey lasted for 9 years. When Marcos father and uncle returned, Marco was 15 years old. Marcos mother died. After fathers return, Marco stayed with them for two years. After that Marco spent three years in the most undaunted travel to Cathay (China).
The way to Cathay was very difficult and risky. In 1271 the ships company, which consisted of Marco Polos father, uncle and two friars, got valuable presents for the Great Khan and started their travel to east. All those presents gave the new Pope Tedaldo (Gregory X). He wrote about the election of the new Pope Gregory X. Marco Polo was 17 years old when he started his first big traveling. Their way ran through the war zone. The two friars came back. However, Marco stayed on the ship and continued with his journey. Their way ran through Armenia, Persia, and Afghanistan, over the Pamirs, the Silk Road to China.
While making comparison of the event and people in Marco Polos travels and from historic sources, we can see that really the Pope from 1271 to 1276 was Pope Tedaldo Visconti (Gregory X). Great Khan ruled at that time over the vast empire that extended from Central Asia into China. This fact is also proved by many history sources. The fact that the war was in 1271 is also improved by the history sources. In that time, Great Khan continued his expansion Mongolian territories.
Marco Polo visited many countries and described many religions. And he was admired with them. He liked to see at the Buddhist lamas and their magician skills. He told many new things to Great Khan. Great Khan liked Marco Polo because of his knowledge. Marco very detaled wrote about Kubai Khans attitude toward religion. He believed in many prophets: Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ and Mohamed. Kubai Khan told: I respect and honour all four great Prophets who are reverenced and worshiped by the different classes of mankind. The Christians regard Jesus Christ as their divinity; the Saracens, Mahomet; the Jews, Moses and the idolaters, Sogomombar-kan, the most eminent amongst their idols. I do honour and show respect to all the four, and invoke to my aid, whichever amongst them is in truth supreme in haven.
Marco Polo, in his book, described every town that he has visited and every new religion he has learnt. In historical sources we can see some proves that he really described his way to China.However, in many historic sources we can find evidences that can prove Polos words. As we know Marco Polos way ran through the Silk Road. At the time when English found this way, they proved that Marco Polo was right. When they saw the present Chinese desert (Marco Polo named it the Mingsha Dune), they proved Marcos words too. They said that the desert whistled when the wind blew. Today, the scientists proved this fact and explained it. The desert whistles because of solid granite that is under the sands.
The most interesting for me in this book was that Marco Polo at first learned about paper money. At that time all Europe used coins but China used paper money. It is a proved fact. We can see Marcos description of it: the people throughout the country the idolaters, and subjects of the grand khan. They burn the bodies of their dead and use paper money.. In addition, in this paragraph he wrote about people from Singui-Matu and their religion traditions.
In China, Marco got to know about coal. Chinese had bathhouses and took the bath three times a week and in winter they took the bath every day. He described that the population of China was great. There were many people and everyone took the bath. At that time Europe used coal but not in a huge amount. It was new for Marco. He wrote: It is true there is no scarcity of wood in the country, but the multitude of inhabitants is so immense, and their stoves and baths, which are they continually heating, so numerous, that quantity could not supply the demand; for there is no person who does not frequent the warm bath at least three times in the week and during the winter daily, if its in their power. Every man of rank or wealth has one in his house for his own use; and the stock of wood must soon prove inadequate to such consumption; whereas these stones may be had in a great abundance and at cheap rate.
His stories were very necessary for Europe. Before Marco Polo nobody explored remote lands. Marco Polo was the first. That is why his descriptions are so valuable.
We can see that the translator of The Travels of Marco Polo on every page made notes. He helped the reader to explain some descriptions and in addition, he proved some facts. He showed us at what time this event took part. It is very convenient because due to these notes we can define what was true and what Marco Polos imagination was.
As for me, I think that Marco Polos stories are very reliable as a historical source. Some people think that it is very hard and boring to read The Travels of Marco Polo because he described every country and town, its location very carefully. We can see the evidence of it on the following statement: Leaving the city of Yachi, and travelling ten days in a westerly direction, you reach the province of Karazan, which is also the name of its chief city. He wrote a lot about religion, traditions and he did it very accurate too. He wrote about Kangigu, its people and their way of life in the following way: Kangigu is a province situated towards the east, and is governed by a king. The people are idolaters, have a peculiar language, and made a voluntary submission to the grand khan, to whom they pay an annual tribute. The king is so devoted to sensual pleasures that he has about four hundred wives; and when he hears of any handsome woman, he sends for her, and adds her to the number, Gold is found here in large quantities, and also many kinds of drugs; but, being an inland country, distant from the sea, there is little opportunity of vending them. Sometimes the events in the book were not in the chronological order but due to the main events and descriptions we can understand about what period of time he said.
Marco Polos work was really great and inestimable. He showed to the Europe a new east. They did not know many interesting facts about east. They thought that east was a part of the world where the second-rate countries were located. However, in the east there were many towns which were richer and had more goods then some European countries. After his return and his stories some people did not believe in it. Even through centuries there were many theories about his journey. Some people said that he even never have been in China. In addition, some people said that it was his fantasies, the power and strength of Kubai-Khan. In reply of this he told: I have not told half of what I saw. He wrote many books and he could not contain all the information that he has known. However, some people found another evidenced and try to prove that Marco Polo was not in China at all. They affirmed that he was only in Persia and wrote about China due to Persian tales. They criticized him and told that he did not describe the Great Chinese Wall. I wanted to read about the Great Wall and tea ceremony in his books too. But I did not find anything. At first I started to doubt in Marco Polos truth. However, I remember the information which is a good proof of Marco Polos rightness. He could not write about the Great Wall because at that time there was no Great Wall. It was not great. The first stones of the present Great Wall were put 300 years B.C. However, till the 13th century, the time when Marco Polo visited the China, it was destroyed. The Great Wall which we can see nowadays was built in the 16th century.
In my opinion, Marco Polos descriptions and his reflections on the events that took part at that time were completely normal and adequate. His books are the way of knowledge of the east world of those times. Of course, he did not have the compass and could not point the right direction with scientific words (using degrees of latitude or longitude), however with simple words he explained the location of the biggest cities and towns. My opinion is based on the previously mentioned evidences. In addition, the hard historical facts proves this too.
Marco Polo is the great traveler and writer of all times and as for me, nobody can be better in describing the world even with the best modern technologies.
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