A short story about Marco Polo. Marco Polo - Traveler's Biography

Polo Marco (1254-1344) - an Italian who traveled to South Asia.

Marco Polo came from a Venetian merchant family. His father and uncle carried on extensive trade, in particular with Persia. In 1271, when they went on a long journey, they took with them Marco, who from childhood was noted for his keen powers of observation and intelligence. For 17 years, the Marco Polo family was engaged in trade in the Celestial Empire. Marco very quickly learned languages ​​and won the favor of the Chinese emperor, moreover, to such an extent that his family was given the most important assignment - to accompany the Mongol and Chinese princess to Asia, and in the spring of 1292 a flotilla of 14 ships sailed from the port. Polo was about to make a big cruise, the first in the history of navigation, in which Europeans took part.

The path ran along the eastern and southern shores Asia. The phenomenal memory of Marco Polo captured the smallest details travel: what he saw with his own eyes, he never forgot.

Only in 1295 did the Polo family return to Venice, bringing with them great wealth.

After some time, war breaks out between Venice and Genoa. These two prosperous port city-states have long vied for dominance in Mediterranean trade. At his own expense, Marco Polo equips the ship, but in one of the battles he fails: the ship was captured, and Polo ended up in a Genoese prison. In order not to become discouraged, he begins to talk about his travels to his cellmates. His story aroused keen interest not only among the prisoners, but also among the guards, who began to carry them around the city. And now the inhabitants of Genoa begin to visit the prison in order to hear for themselves what Marco Polo tells. In the end, he comes to the idea that he needs to capture his memories on paper. Rusticiano, a cellmate, became the "chronicler". Day after day, under his pen, a work is born, which to this day is read like a fascinating novel. Polo himself never gave a name to this work. It went down in history as "The Book of Marco Polo". The draft book was completed by the end of 1298. Perhaps this played a role in the fact that Marco Polo was soon released, and, moreover, without a ransom. Returning to Venice, he continues to work on his narrative, significantly supplementing it.

It was still far from the invention of printing, but the "Book of Marco Polo" began to diverge throughout Europe, translated into many languages. Shortly before his death, Polo said: "I did not write even half of what I happened to see." But what he wrote cannot be overestimated, since the "Book" significantly expanded the horizons of Europeans, for the first time gave them information about countries that they knew only by hearsay.

One of the chapters of the book is devoted to the description of our country. "Great" he calls her. In it, Marco Polo gave a fairly reliable description of Russia.

... Marco Polo died in 1344. For the last ten years of his life he was engaged in trade and never returned to his book. He never had to learn that his geographical observations and discoveries were long ahead of their time.

In 1477, a printed edition of the Book appeared, which caught the eye of Christopher Columbus. It probably strengthened his opinion that it was possible to sail to Asia from Europe, following the course to the west. He took with him the Latin edition of the "Book" and actively used it in his travels.

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Biography, life story of Marco Polo

Marco Polo is an Italian merchant and traveler.

early years

It is generally accepted (there is no exact data on the birth and growing up of Marco) that Polo was born in Venice on September 15, 1254. According to other sources, Marko could well have been born in Poland or Croatia. Historians cannot come to a consensus on this point and are fiercely debated on this issue.

Marco's father's name was Niccolo Polo, he was a spice and jewelry dealer. Marco did not know his mother - the woman died during childbirth. The boy was raised by his own aunt.

Marco was accustomed to travel with early years. Due to the specifics of his father's work, he learned early what it is - almost a nomadic life. In 1271, Marco traveled for the first time - to Jerusalem with his father.

Trips

In the same year, 1271, the Pope appointed Niccolò, his brother Morfeo and Marco as official envoys to China. At that time, the Mongol Khan Hibulai ruled the eastern country. The travelers made their first stop at the port of Layas, which is on mediterranean coast. Goods from Asia were brought to this port, where they were bought by merchants from Genoa and Venice. From Layas, Niccolo, Morfeo and Marco went to Asia Minor, Armenia, Mosul, Baghdad and Tabriz, which was famous for its richest pearl market. In Tabriz, part of the escort of the travelers was killed by the robbers who attacked them. The Polo family miraculously managed to avoid death at the hands of scoundrels greedy for other people's good. Marco with his father and uncle, literally balancing between life and death from thirst, hunger and fatigue, barely made it to the city of Balkh (Afghanistan), where they were able to recover and continue their exciting but unsafe journey.

Then the travelers visited Badakhshan, where they mined gems. Some scientists claim that in Badakhshan the family had to stay on whole year due to Marco's illness. After that they went to Kashmir. This region impressed the young Marco with the beauty of local women and the magical abilities of sorcerers who could, with the help of their rituals and conspiracies, influence weather. Then Marco, Niccolo and Morfeo ended up in the Southern Tien Shan, and from there through the Takla Makan deserts to Shangzhou, Guangzhou and Lanzhou. Marco Polo was completely delighted with the local flora and fauna, rituals and customs.

CONTINUED BELOW

The Polo family remained in the Yuan under the auspices of the ruling Mongol Khan Kublai Khan for a long 15 years. Kublai liked the young Marco, who was distinguished by his independent character, courage and excellent memory. Over time, Marco became one of Khubilai's close associates. Polo took an active part in solving state affairs, helped the khan to recruit an army and had a significant influence on the ruler's making the most important decisions for the development of the empire.

Khan Hibulai repeatedly gave Marco Polo various diplomatic missions. Thanks to this, Marco learned Persian well and Mongolian, visited many cities and saw many oriental wonders. In the late 1280s, Marco Polo was appointed to the post of ruler of the Chinese provinces of Jiangnan.

In 1291, Hibulai sent Marco, his father and uncle to accompany the Mongol princess to Persia to her husband, the ruler of the state. Khan did not really want to part with his devoted servant Marco, but circumstances demanded it. The road of travelers ran through Sumatra and Ceylon. In 1294, the Polo family, while still on the road, received the sad news that Khan Hibulai had died.

Having completed the last task of Hibulai, all three Polos decided to return home. In the winter of 1295, Marco returned to his native land. At home, Polo waited for two years of a calm and measured life, and then the war began between Genoa and Venice. During one of the battles, Marco Polo was captured. The traveler spent several months in prison. It was there, behind bars, that Polo wrote his famous work, The Book of Wonders of the World. Thanks to this work, the world learned about the most interesting places in Asia and Africa, about the culture local population, about unusual and bewitching things and phenomena that a European person could not even imagine.

The book consists of four parts. In the first, Marco Polo describes the Middle East and Central Asia. In the second - China and Kublai's court. In the third - Japan, India, Sri Lanka, South East Asia and East Africa. In the fourth - wars between the Mongols and their neighbors from the north.

The veracity of the texts of the Book of Wonders of the World has been criticized more than once by researchers. Some points in the work seem rather controversial - for example, why did the author not mention porcelain, tea, the practice of bandaging the legs of women and other Chinese traditions in the story about China? However, Marco's defenders believe that the traveler simply did not consider it very important. In addition, Polo could simply forget some moments, because the description of the trip was not conducted by him at the very moment of his stay in the East, but from memory. Also, scholars are not sure that Marco Polo was really an important political figure under Khibulai. The Italian could well lie in his book. Or is it a mistake of translators and scribes of labor. It's very hard to say for sure.

Personal life

After his release from captivity, Marco Polo married Donata, a wealthy Venetian. The couple had three daughters. Marco led an ordinary, unremarkable life as a respectable family man and honest merchant. At the same time, Polo never for a moment forgot about his beloved China and how vast the world is, how interesting it is and ... and how it is now inaccessible to him.

Death

Marco Polo died on January 8, 1324 at his home in Venice. The body of the traveler was buried in the church of San Lorenzo.

In the 14th century, the magnificent house of Marko, in which the gifts he brought from China were kept, burned down. And in the 19th century, the church in which his ashes rested was destroyed.

Marco Polo was born on September 15, 1254. There are two versions about the place where it happened. According to the first version, this is Venice. However, Croatian historians claim that his birthplace is the island of Korcula, now part of the territory of Croatia.

Biography of Marco Polo

Marco's father was Nicolo Polo, who was engaged in merchant business. He traded in jewelry, as well as spices. Together with Uncle Maffeo, they traded with eastern countries.

Marco Polo set out on his first journey in 1271. This happened after his father and uncle returned from wandering around Central Asia. It is worth noting that during their journey, the Mongol Khan Kubilai asked to deliver a letter to Pope Clement IV of Rome, as well as send oil from the tomb of Christ, which was located in Jerusalem. When they arrived in Italy, the Pope had already died, and they were in no hurry to choose a new one. However, they wanted to fulfill the order of the Khan and after 2 years they went to Jerusalem themselves. And so the long journey began.

Marco Polo spent about 17 years in the countries of the East. During this time, he got the opportunity to travel not only all over China, but also other no less interesting places. During his travels, he wrote down everything, which eventually resulted in the "Book of Wonders". This book has been the main source of information for Western people about Asia. It spoke in detail about Everyday life eastern people.

It was thanks to this book that the West learned about paper money and huge cities in terms of population. The islands of Java and Sumatra, Madagascar and Ceylon, Indonesia and Chipingu were also mentioned there. Previously, nothing was known about them. As a result of writing this book, the traveler Marco Polo made a significant contribution to the development of relations between West and East.

The return to Venice after a long wandering took place only in 1295. 2 years after his return, Marco was captured during naval battle. It was during the captivity that his "Book of Miracles" was written.

As for the family life of the traveler Marco Polo, very little is known about it. He had a wife and 3 daughters. As historians point out, family life didn't always go well with him. Sometimes even had to turn to litigation. It is worth noting that in last years During his life he was a very wealthy man. Enough interesting fact his life is that before his death he gave freedom to his slave, and also provided him with money.

Death overtook the traveler in Venice in 1324. Thus ended the biography of Marco Polo. A lot of interesting events happened in his life.

Travel Asia

In 1271, the journey of Marco Polo, his father and uncle from Venice to China began. The path was quite long, and took about 4 years.

There are two versions about how they got to China:

• In accordance with the first version, Marco Polo's route ran through Akka - Erzerum - Hormuz - Pamir - Kashgar, and only after that they reached Beijing.
• Experts who adhere to the second version argue that the route of Marco Polo ran through Akka - the southern part of Asia - the Armenian Highlands - Basra - Kerman - southern part Hindu Kush mountains - Pamir - Takla-Makan desert.

But, be that as it may, by 1275 they safely reached Beijing, where they spent a large period of time. Uncle and father were engaged in trade in China, while Marco served the great Khan Kublai. Khan treated him very well.

Being in the service of Khubilai, the traveler had a chance to travel around almost the entire territory of China. During these 17 years, he was even appointed to the post of ruler of Jiangnan Province.

During their stay in China, Marco, his father and uncle received very good location from the Khan, as a result of which he did not want to let them go. However, in 1292 it did happen. Khubilai instructed them to escort the Mongol princess to Persia, where she was to be married.

They successfully delivered the princess to Persia, where in 1294 they received news that Khan Kublai had died. After that, the final stage of Marco Polo's journey began. In 1295 he returned to his homeland - to Venice.

It is worth noting that thanks to his wanderings and the book that he wrote after his return, Marco Polo opened the way for Europeans to the still unknown East Asia!

Marco Polo is an Italian merchant and traveler who, after his travels in Asia, wrote The Book of the Diversity of the World.

Marco Polo was born in 1254. In 1260, Marco's father and uncle, the Venetian merchants Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, set out from Constantinople, where they had been trading for several years, to Asia. They visited the Crimea, Bukhara, and the most distant point of their journey was the residence of the great Mongol Khan Kublai. After negotiations with the Venetians, Kublai decided to enter into relations with the West and decided to send an embassy to the pope, instructing both Polo brothers to be his representatives before the pope. In 1266, the Polo brothers went to Europe. In 1269 they reached the fortress of Akka on the Mediterranean Sea and there they learned that Pope Clement IV, to whom they had a message from Khubilai, had died and a new pope had not yet been elected. The papal legate, who was in Akka, ordered them to wait for the election of the pope. And then the brothers decided to spend their time waiting in Venice, where they had not been for fifteen years. They lived in their homeland for two years, and the election of the pope was delayed. Then the Polo brothers again went to Akka, taking with them the young Marco, who was then no more than seventeen years old. In Akka, they received a letter from the papal legate to Khubilai announcing the death of Pope Clement IV. But as soon as they set off, they learned that the papal legate himself had been elected pope under the name of Gregory X. The new pope ordered the messengers to return the travelers from the road and handed them letters to the great khan, after which the Venetians set out on a long journey a second time.

Returning to Mongolia, the Polo brothers did not follow the same path they followed to the great khan the first time. If before they traveled along the foothills of the northern Tien Shan, which significantly lengthened the road, now they took a shorter route - through present-day Afghanistan. But despite this, their journey to the residence of Kublai Khan lasted about three and a half years.

2 Armenia

Marco Polo, together with his father and uncle, began his journey from Lesser Armenia, which is characterized in his book as "a country very unhealthy." The Venetians were greatly impressed by the trading city of Layas (Ayas) located on the seashore - a warehouse for valuable Asian goods and a congress place for merchants of all countries. From Lesser Armenia, Marco Polo went to the Turkmen land. Great Armenia, which was then visited by Marco Polo, was a convenient camp for the Tatar army. From Great Armenia, the Venetians went to the northeast, to Georgia, which stretched along the southern slope of the Caucasus.

3 Tabriz

The travelers then descended to the kingdom of Mosul. Then they visited Baghdad, where "the caliph of all the Saracens in the world lives." From Baghdad, Venetian travelers got to Tabriz (Tabriz), a Persian city in the province of Azerbaijan. Tabriz is a large trading city, lying among beautiful gardens. Merchants there trade in precious stones and make big profits. The main trade of the country is horses and donkeys, which the inhabitants send to Kizi and Kurmaz (Ormuz), and from there to India.

From Tabriz, the travelers again descended to the south, to the Persian city of Yazdi (Yazd), and then, having traveled for seven days through magnificent forests teeming with game, they arrived in the province of Kerman. There, in the mountains, miners mined turquoise and iron. Leaving the city of Kerman, Marco Polo and his companions nine days later arrived in the city of Kamadi, surrounded by beautiful groves of date palms and pistachio trees.

4 Ormuz

Continuing their journey to the south, the travelers reached the fertile valley of Kurmaz, now Hormuz, and then arrived on the shores of the Persian Gulf, in the city of Hormuz. This area, rich in dates and spices, seemed very hot and unhealthy to the Venetians. Ormuz was big trading city. Delivered there from different places for sale precious stones, silk and gold fabrics, ivory, date wine and bread, and then they exported all these goods on ships. “Their ships are bad,” Marco Polo noted, “and a lot of them die, because they are not hammered together with iron nails, but are sewn with ropes from the bark of Indian nuts.”

From Ormuz, Marco Polo and his companions, rising to the northeast, set out on a dangerous road through a barren desert, in which only bitter standing water came across, and seven days later reached the city of Kobinan (Kuhbenan). Further, the path of Marco Polo ran through the cities of Sapurgan (Shibargan) and Taykan (Talikan - in the north-east of Afghanistan).

Then the travelers entered the region of Shesmur (Kashmir). If Marco Polo had kept the same direction, he would have come to India. But he went up from here to the north, and after twelve days he arrived in the land of Wakhan. Then, through the mountainous deserts of the Pamirs, after a forty-day journey, the travelers reached the province of Kashgar. Now they found themselves in a country where Maffeo and Niccolo Polo had already been during their journey from Bukhara to the residence of the great khan. From Kashgar, Marco Polo turned west to visit Samarkand. Then, returning again to Kashgar, he went to Yarkan, then to Khotan, and then reached the border great desert Takla Makan. After a five-day journey through the sandy plain, the Venetians arrived at the city of Lob, where they rested for eight days, preparing to cross the desert that stretched to the east.

5 Canpicion

In a month, the travelers crossed the desert across and arrived in the province of Tangut, in the city of Shazhou (now Dun-hua), built on the western border of the Chinese Empire. Then the travelers went to the city of Suktan (now Jiuquan), in the vicinity of which rhubarb is grown in large quantities, and then to the city of Kangpicion (now Zhangye, in the central part of the Chinese province of Gansu) - the then capital of the Tangut. “This is a large, majestic city in which noble and rich idolaters live, having many wives,” wrote Marco Polo. Three Venetians lived a whole year in this city. From there, Marco Polo traveled to Karakorum, for which he had to cross the Gobi Desert twice.

6 Meeting with the Khan

The Venetians passed through the province of Senduk (Tenduk) and, having crossed the Great Wall of China, arrived in Chiagannor (in inner Mongolia), where one of the summer palaces of the great khan was located. Leaving Chiagannor, they arrived three days later in Chiandu (Shandu), and there the travelers were received by the great Khan Kublai, who lived in his summer residence, located behind the "Great Wall" to the north of Khanbalik (Beijing).

Marco Polo says little about the reception given to the Venetians by Khubilai, but describes in great detail the palace of the great khan, built of stone and marble and all gilded inside. The palace was located in a park surrounded by a wall; all sorts of animals and birds were gathered there, fountains were beating, pavilions made of bamboo stood everywhere. In the summer palace, Khan Kublai lived for three months a year.

7 Khanbalik

Together with the court of Khan Khubilai, the travelers then moved to the capital of the empire, Khanbalik (Beijing), where the magnificent palace of the Khan was located. Marco Polo described this khan's palace in detail in his book: “Three months a year, December, January and February, the great khan lives in the main city of China, Khanbalik; there is his great palace, and this is what it is: first of all, a square wall; each side is a mile long, and in the district, therefore, four miles; the wall is thick, a good ten paces high, white and jagged all around; in every corner a beautiful, rich palace; they contain the harness of the great khan; there is also a palace at each wall, the same as coal ones; there are eight palaces along the walls. Behind this wall there is another, smaller in diameter than in length; and there are eight palaces, the same as the first, and they also keep the harness of the great khan. In the middle is the palace of the great khan, it is built like this: this has not been seen anywhere else; there is no second floor, and the foundation is ten spans above the ground; the roof is high. The walls in the large and small chambers are covered with gold and silver, and dragons, birds, horses and all kinds of animals are painted on them, and the walls are covered in such a way that nothing is visible except gold and painting. The hall is so spacious, more than six thousand people can be there. One marvels at how many chambers there are, spacious and beautifully arranged. And the roof is red, green, blue, yellow, of all colors, thinly and skillfully laid out, shines like crystal, and glows from afar.

Marco Polo lived in Khanbalik for quite a long time. The Great Khan liked him very much with his lively mind, sharpness and ability to easily assimilate local dialects. As a result, Khubilai gave Marco Polo various instructions and sent him not only to different regions of China, but also to Indian seas, to the island of Ceylon, to the Coromandel and Malabar Islands and to Cochin China (Indo-China). In 1280, Marco Polo was appointed ruler of the city of Yangui (Yangzhou) and twenty-seven other cities that were part of this area. Fulfilling the orders of the great khan, Marco Polo traveled most China and conveyed in his book a lot of information, valuable both in ethnographic and geographical terms.

8 First trip to China

Great Khan gave Marco Polo a mission and sent him as a messenger to the west. Leaving Khanbalik, he walked in this direction for four months. On a beautiful stone bridge with twenty-four arches, three hundred paces long, Marco Polo crossed the Yellow River. Having traveled thirty miles, the traveler entered into a large and beautiful city Zhigi (Zhuoxian), where silk and gold fabrics are made and sandalwood is processed with great skill. Moving further west, Marco Polo ten days later reached the Tayan-Fu (Taiyuan) region, replete with vineyards and mulberry trees.

Finally, having traveled through all of China, the traveler reached Tibet. According to Marco Polo, Tibet is a very large region, whose people speak their own dialect and worship idols. There good harvests cinnamon and "many such spices that have not been seen in our countries."

Leaving Tibet, Marco Polo went to the region of Gaindu (Tsyundzy) and from there, having crossed big river Jinshajiang (apparently the Yangtze) - reached Karazhan (now Yunnan Province). From there, heading south, Polo entered the province of Zerdendan, whose capital Nochian was located on the site of the present city of Yunchang-fu. Further, following the high road that serves as a trade route between India and Indo-China, he passed the Baoshan region (in the province of Yunnan) and, after a fifteen-day journey on horseback through forests teeming with elephants and other wild animals, reached the city of Mian (Mianning). The city of Mian, long since destroyed, was famous at that time for a miracle of architectural art: two towers built of fine stone. One was covered with finger-thick gold sheets, and the other with silver. Both of these towers were supposed to serve as a tombstone for King Mian, but his kingdom fell and became part of the possessions of the great khan.

Then Marco Polo descended to Bangala, present-day Bengal, which at that time, in 1290, had not yet been captured by Khan Kublai. From there, the traveler headed east to the city of Kangigu (apparently in Northern Laos). The inhabitants there tattooed their bodies, piercing with needles on the face, neck, stomach, arms and legs images of lions, dragons and birds. Marco Polo did not go south of Kangigu during this trip. From here he ascended to the northeast and after fifteen days of travel arrived in the province of Toloman (on the border of the current provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou).

Leaving Toloman, Marco Polo followed twelve days along the river, on the banks of which large cities and villages often met, and arrived in the province of Kungui, which was within the boundaries of the possessions of the great khan; in this country, Marco Polo was amazed by the abundance of wild animals, especially bloodthirsty lions. From this province, Marco Polo went to Kachian-fu (Hejiang), from where he went on the road already familiar to him, which led him back to Khan Kublai.

9 Second trip to China

After some time, Marco Polo, with a new order from the great khan, made another trip to the south of China. First of all, he visited the large region of Manzi, where he visited the city of Coigangui (Huaian), located on the banks of the Yellow River. The inhabitants of this city were engaged in the extraction of salt from salt lakes. Then, moving further and further south, the traveler visited, one after another, several trading cities: Panshin (Baoying), Kaiu (Gaoyu), Tigui (Taizhou) and, finally, Yangui (Yangzhou). In the city of Yangui, Marco Polo was governor for three years. However, even during this period he did not stay long in one place. Continuing to travel around the country, he carefully studied the coastal and inland cities.

Marco Polo described in his book the city of Saingfu (Yangfen), which lies in the northern part of Hebei province. It was the last city of the Manzi region that resisted Khubilai after the entire region had been conquered. The Great Khan besieged the city for three years and took possession of it thanks to the assistance of the Polo Venetians. They advised the khan to build throwing machines - ballistas. As a result, the city was destroyed by a hail of stones, many of which reached three hundred pounds.

Of all the cities in southern China, the most impressive was Marco Polo Qingsai (Hangzhou), located on the navigable Qiantangjiang River. According to Marco Polo, "twelve, thousand stone bridges in it, and under the arches of each bridge or most of the bridges, ships can pass, and under the arches of others - smaller ships. Do not be surprised that there are many bridges; the city, I tell you, is all in the water, and the water is all around; You need a lot of bridges here to go everywhere.”

Then Marco Polo went to the city of Fugi (Fujian). According to him, there were often riots of the population against the Mongol rule. Not far from Fuga is the large port of Kaiton, which conducts a brisk trade with India. From there, after five days of travel, Marco Polo arrived in the city of Zaitong (Quanzhou) - the farthest point on his journey through southeastern China.

Marco Polo, having successfully completed his journey, again returned to the court of Khan Kublai. After that, he continued to carry out his various assignments, using his knowledge of Mongolian, Turkish, Manchu and Chinese. He took part in an expedition to the Indian Islands and subsequently compiled a report on the voyage through these, then still little known, seas.

10 Departure from China

For eleven years, not counting the time spent on the journey from Europe to China, Marco Polo, his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo remained in the service of the great khan. They yearned for their homeland and wanted to return to Europe, but Kublai refused to let them go. The Venetians rendered him many valuable services, and he offered them all kinds of gifts and honors to keep them at his court. However, the Venetians continued to insist on their own. Unexpectedly, they were helped by a happy accident.

The Mongol Khan Arkhun, who reigned in Persia, sent ambassadors to the great khan, who were instructed to ask for Arkhun's daughter Khubilai's wife. Khubilai agreed to give his daughter for him and decided to send the bride with a large retinue and a rich dowry to Persia, to Arkhun. But the countries that lay on the way from China to Persia were in the grip of an uprising against Mongol rule and it was not safe to travel along them. After some time, the caravan was forced to turn back.

The ambassadors of the Persian Khan, having learned that the Venetians were skilled seafarers, began to ask Khubilai to entrust them with the “princess”: the ambassadors wanted the Venetians to deliver her to Persia by a roundabout way, by sea, which was not so dangerous.

Kublai Khan, after much hesitation, gave in to this request and ordered a fleet of fourteen four-masted ships to be equipped. Maffeo, Niccolo and Marco Polo led the expedition, which was on the road for more than three years.

In 1291, the Mongol fleet left the port of Zaitong (Quanzhou). From here he went to the vast country of Chianba (Chamba, one of the regions of present-day Vietnam), which was subordinate to the great khan. Further, the Khan's fleet headed for the island of Java, which Khubilai could not capture in any way.

11 Sumatra

After stopping on the islands of Sendur and Condor (off the coast of Cambodia), Marco Polo reached the island of Sumatra, which he called Little Java. “This island stretches so far to the south that the pole star is completely invisible, neither less nor more,” he said. And this is true for the inhabitants of southern Sumatra. The land there is surprisingly fertile, found on the island wild elephants and rhinos, which Marco Polo called unicorns.

Bad weather delayed the fleet for five whole months, and the traveler, taking advantage of the opportunity, visited the main provinces of the island. He was especially struck by sago trees: “Their bark is thin, and inside there is only flour; they make delicious dough out of it.” Finally, the winds allowed the ships to leave Malaya Java.

12 Ceylon

The fleet headed southwest and soon reached Ceylon. This island, said Polo, was once much larger, but North wind blew there with such force that the sea flooded part of the land. In Ceylon, according to Marco Polo, the most expensive and most beautiful rubies, sapphires, topazes, amethysts, garnets, opals and other precious stones were mined.

Sixty miles east of Ceylon, the navigators met the large area of ​​Maabar (the Coromandel coast of the Indian subcontinent). She was famous for catching pearls. Marco Polo's journey through India continued along the Coromandel Coast.

From the coast of India, the fleet of Marco Polo again returned to Ceylon, and then went to the city of Kail (Kayal) - at that time a busy port where ships from many Eastern countries. Further, rounding Cape Komorin, the most south point Hindustan, sailors saw Koillon (now Kuilon), a harbor on the Malabar coast, which in the Middle Ages was one of the main points of trade with Western Asia.

Leaving Coillon and continuing north along the Malabar coast, Marco Polo's fleet reached the shores of the country of Eli. Having then visited Melibar (Malabar), Gozurat (Gujarat) and Makoran (Makran) - the last city in the northwestern part of India - Marco Polo, instead of going up to Persia, where the fiancé of the Mongol princess was waiting for him, headed west across the Gulf of Oman.

13 Madagascar

The desire to see new lands was so strong in Marco Polo that he shied away five hundred miles to the shores of Arabia. The Polo flotilla headed for the island of Skotra (Socotra), which lies at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden. Descending then a thousand miles to the south, he sent his fleet to the shores of Madagascar.

According to the traveler, Madagascar is one of the largest and most beautiful islands in the world. The inhabitants here were engaged in crafts and traded in ivory. Merchants who arrived here from the coast of India used only twenty days to travel by sea, but the return journey took them at least three months, since the current in the Mozambique Channel carried their ships to the south. Nevertheless, Indian merchants willingly visited this island, selling gold and silk fabrics here at great profit and receiving sandalwood and ambergris in return.

14 Hormuz

Rising from Madagascar to the northwest, Marco Polo sailed to the island of Zanzibar, and then to the African coast. Marco Polo visited primarily Abasia or Abyssinia, very rich country where a lot of cotton is grown and good fabrics are made from it; then the fleet reached the port of Zeila, almost at the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and then, following along the shores of the Gulf of Aden, it stopped successively in Aden, Kalat (Kalhat), Dufar (Zafar) and, finally, Kurmoz (Ormuz).

In Ormuz, the voyage of Marco Polo ended. The Mongol princess finally reached the border of Persia. By the time of her arrival, Khan Arkhun had already died and internecine wars began in the Persian kingdom. Marco Polo gave the Mongol princess under the protection of Arkhun's son Gassan, who at that time was fighting with his uncle, Arkhun's brother, who was trying to seize the vacant throne. In 1295, Hassan's rival was strangled, and Hassan became Persian khan. How did further fate Mongol princess - unknown. Marco Polo, together with his father and uncle, hastened to his fatherland. Their path lay on Trebizond, Constantinople and Negropont (Chalcis), where they boarded a ship and sailed to Venice.

15 Return to Venice

In 1295, after a twenty-four-year absence, Marco Polo returned to his native city. Three travelers, scorched by the sultry rays of the sun, in rough Tatar clothes, with Mongolian manners, who almost forgot their native language, were not recognized even by their closest relatives. In addition, rumors about their death had long been circulating in Venice, and everyone considered the three Polos dead in Mongolia.

Not much is known about the biography of Marco Polo. It is interesting to note that there is not a single reliable portrait of him. In the 16th century, a certain John Baptist Ramusio made an attempt to collect and organize information about the life of the famous traveler. In other words, three hundred years passed from the moment of his birth to the appearance of the first mention of him. Hence the inaccuracy, the approximation of facts and descriptions.

Marco Polo was born around September 15, 1254 in Venice. His family belonged to the nobility, the so-called Venetian nobility, and had a coat of arms. His father, Niccolo Polo, was a successful trader in jewelry and spices. The mother of the famous traveler died during childbirth, so his father and aunt were involved in his upbringing.

First travels

The largest source of income for the Venetian state was trade with distant countries. It was believed that the greater the risk, the higher the profit. Therefore, it is not surprising that the father of Marco Polo traveled a lot in search of ever new trade routes. The son did not lag behind his father: the love of travel and adventure is in his blood. In 1271, he sets off with his father on his first journey to Jerusalem.

China

That same year, the newly elected Pope nominates Niccolò Polo, his brother Morfeo and own son Marco with his official representatives To China. The Polo family immediately sets off on a long journey to the main ruler of China - Mongol Khan. Asia Minor, Armenia, Mosul, Baghdad, Persia, Pamir, Kashmir - that's approximate route their following. In 1275, that is, five years after leaving the Italian port, the merchants find themselves in the residence of Khan Kublai. The latter accepts them cordially. He especially liked the young Marco. In it, he valued independence, fearlessness and good memory. He repeatedly offered him to participate in public life, entrusted him with important assignments. In gratitude, the youngest member of the Polo family helps the khan recruit an army, talks about the use of military catapults, and much more. So 15 years have passed.

Return

In 1291 Chinese emperor decides to give his daughter to the Persian Shah Arghun. The passage by land was impossible, so a flotilla of 14 ships is equipped. The Polo family is in the first position: they accompany and guard the Mongolian princess. However, even during the journey, sad news comes about the sudden death of the khan. And the Polos immediately decide to immediately return to their native lands. But the way home was long and unsafe.

The book and its contents

In 1295 Marco Polo returns to Venice. Exactly two years later he was imprisoned for participating in the war between Genoa and Venice. Those few months that he spent in custody cannot be called empty and fruitless. There he meets Rusticello, an Italian writer from Pisa. It is he who denounces the stories of Marco Polo about amazing lands, their nature, population, culture, customs and new discoveries. The book was called "The Book of the Diversity of the World", which later became a desktop for many discoverers, including Christopher Columbus.

Traveler's death

Marco Polo died in his homeland, in Venice. At that time he lived long life- 69 years old. The traveler died on January 8, 1324.

Other biography options

• The famous "Book" of Marco Polo was not taken seriously by readers at first. It was used not as a source of invaluable information about China and other distant countries, but as light, entertaining reading with a completely fictional plot.
• Christopher Columbus took the "Book" with him on his first expedition to the "shores of India". He made a lot of notes in its margins. Today, the "Columbian" copy is carefully kept in one of the museums in Seville.
• By the end of his life, Marco Polo was indecently stingy and sued his relatives more than once.
• AT short biography Marco Polo is interesting to note that Poland and Croatia also claim to be his small homeland. The Polish side claims that the surname Polo literally translates as "Pole". The Croats are sure that he was not born in Venice at all, but on their land - in Korcula.