Marco Polo

Venetian, c.1254 – 1324

Marco Polo, the most famous European to travel along the Silk Road, embarked on an expedition to Central Asia with his father and uncle in 1271. They were appointed as emissaries to Kublai Khan’s court, where Polo served as a messenger for the Mongol ruler on diplomatic missions throughout China and Southeast Asia. Polo spent more than two decades travelling the Silk Road before returning to Venice in 1294. Captured during Venice’s war with Genoa, Polo dictated his travel stories to another captive, Rustichello of Pisa. The result was Polo’s famous account The Travels of Marco Polo.

Kublai Khan gave Polo a ‘paiza,’ a golden tablet of authority, which allowed him to travel safely through the Mongol Empire