Marco Polo Death Anniversary

Marco Polo, who passed away on 8 January 1324, was a Venetian merchant and adventurer who travelled from Europe to Asia in 1271-95. It is believed that Marco Polo journeyed across Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire. He first set out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what later became known as the Silk Road. Upon reaching China, Marco Polo entered the court of powerful Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, who dispatched him on trips to help administer the realm. Marco Polo remained abroad for 24 years. Though not the first European to explore China—his father and uncle, among others, had already been there—he became famous for his travels thanks to a popular book,whose Il milione (“The Million”), known in English as the Travels of Marco Polo,  he co-authored while languishing in a Genoese prison.