The Travels of Marco Polo

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What makes someone a great traveler? Some of the factors, in my humble opinion, include longevity of travel, cultural sensitivity, perseverance in the face of danger and failure, ingenuity to get out of tricky situations, level-headedness to take both good and bad experiences in one’s stride, being grateful for the opportunity to travel, and most of all, the sheer love for travel and discovery. Marco Polo personified all of this. In addition, he was lucky to chronicle his travel experiences in detail. Polo met with Rustichello da Pisa – in prison - together with whom he compiled “Livre des Merveilles du Monde”, in English commonly called “The Travels of Marco Polo”.

The below interactive map takes one through the journey that Polo took from 1276 to 1291. Tap the markers on the map to unlock behind-the-scenes stories, stops along the Silk Road, and detailed commentary!

Notes:

  1. Each leg of Polo’s journey is highlighted in a different color.
  2. Polo did not visit Kharkorin and Baghdad listed in this map. The two places are only marked for the significance of these cities during Polo’s time.

See full screen


Tips:

  • Map is better explored on a big screen
  • Click the "View Fullscreen" [  ] button on the map to toggle full screen mode







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