Marco Polo The Travels

Marco Polo The TravelsMarco Polo is inarguably the intimately famous medieval European traveler, despite the heated controversy among modern scholars surrounding his adventurous travels. In The Travels of Marco Polo, Polo has clearly portrayed the character of the 13th atomic number 6 Asian society, which forms the basis of this paper. Various issues see been considered in the paper, such as the government organization and validation by Kublai Khan, the prosperity of the Asian society, their beliefs and last but not least, the values and possessions that people esteemed.At the age of only 17 years old, Marco Polo accompanied his receive and uncle in a long and tight journey from Venice his birth place, to Cathay, China. It was in this journey, started at the end of 1271, that Marco began his account of the escapades during the three and a half long difficult journey, and his account of the Mongols life. Marcos detailed description on the greatest moment when he first met the G reat Khan, and the appointment of Marco to high posts in the Khans administration present Marcos leave in linguistics and languages. His amazement with Chinas vast power, immense wealth, and complex social structure made Marco to travel the more in China, becoming one of the most travelled Westerners on the Silk Road. His journey throughout Asia took 24 years, which made him to reach beyond Mongolia to China (Silkroad 10-14). The following analysis is based upon Polos cultivation, and additional information obtained with wing to his writing.The government of the 13th century Asian Civilization provides an interesting reading, especially from the ruler, Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was, as Polo describes him, the the greater and more powerful than all others, of the six khans that command the Mongol Empire. Being the last khan, a title given to a ruler in the Mongolian languages, Kublai ruled the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294, lay downing the kwai Dynasty, which lasted until 1368 . The Mongols, under the rule of Kublai, implemented divide-and-rule methods in a way that made the Mongols and the Asians to remain separate from Chinese life (Brummett et al 98). By dividing the Chinese nation into the Mongols the northern Chinese and Koreans the southern Chinese and the central Asians, it was possible to successfully rule the Mongol minority. While the Mongols and the central Asians enjoyed extensive privileges the southern Chinese were exclude from state offices. The government was also reorganized by Kublai, and he established three distinct divisions to finagle the military, to deal with civilian affairs, and the third one to supervise the major officials (EWB 6-10).The prosperity of the Asian society during Marco Polos travels is go baded by many of Polos quotations concerning, for instance, the Greater Hermenia. Polo wrote that the Tartars of the Levant frequented the Armenian country every summer due to the outstanding snip that was available in plenty for their cattle. The pastures were always abundant for the cattle, and according to Polo, the pastures were in large quantity, never failing the cattle. Also of unique significance is the oil saltation that Polo met on the boundaries towards Georgiana. The plenty oil that sprung from the fountain was in such a large quantity that as Polo put it, a hundred shiploads might be taken from it at one time. Although the oil is was not recommended to be used with food, it was needed for burning and was also used for anointing camels that had the mange. The oil was such a treasure that people came from great distances to obtain it (Armenia ch5).The beliefs of the Asian civilization are of utmost importance when understanding their character. There were various beliefs in the 13th century Asian society, and the existence of the different religious beliefs, for instance, was because of Kublai Khans religious tolerance. Moreover, Kublai supported Confucian rituals and rites at court, and als o showed special act of kindness to Buddhism. His tolerance was further demonstrated by his decision not to alienate Daoist interests, as well as protecting Muslims and professing an interest in Christian beliefs (Polo 134).The monastery of St. Barsamo is a very outstanding example in portraying part of the beliefs of the 13th century Asian society. The many monks who came to the monastery involved themselves in knitting girdles, which they placed on the altar of the monastery as the service continued. The monks have been likened to the Brethren of the Holy Spirit Polo, and he writes that they present the girdles to their friends and to other people, since the monks belief was that the girdles could remove bodily pain. Every monk, henceforth, just like the Brethren is religiously vehement to have them. Polos description of how the one-eyed man prayer caused the mountain to move is very significant in understanding the Christians and their behaviors, as they converted the Saracens after the miracle had been performed (Armenia, Ch12)Polos travels reveal various possessions that people esteemed. One of these was the manufactures promoted under the Mongols. The Mongols were good stewards at accumulating wealth, which they did through various ways, such as sacking of cities, promoting trade, and by taxation. A variety of objects were found in the tombs of the influential Mongolians, especially from the 13th and 14th centuries. These included items such as gold cups, leggings, robes. Of these commodities, hundreds of craftsmen were located into northern China, others located in the steppe regions north of the chicken River. Marco Polo described them as they live by commerce and industryjust as we have woolen clothes of many different types, so have they of cloth of gold and silk (Waugh 34).Marco Polos narrative was of tremendous use in understanding the 13th Century Asian civilization. From all the discoveries that he made, and all the documented information rega rding the behaviors, culture, and way of life of the Asian community, it was possible for one to not only understand the civilization, but also appreciate the lifestyle. There were numerous adventures in Marco Polos travels, which compete an important role in understanding various elements of the character of the civilization. Marcos escapades were written with a simple, yet profound, easy to understand way, and his excellent skill of using an interactional language was very significant in relating with the society. Since most of the information provided in Polos narration was concerning his experiences and the Asians way of life, the narration was a very relevant source in understanding and characterizing the society.Works CitedArmenia. The Travels of Marco Polo 1 Chapter 3. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http//www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo_1_Chapter _3Brummett, Palmira Johnson., Edgar, Robert., Hackett, Neil J., Jewsbury, George., Taylor, Alasta ir M., Bailkey, Nels M., Wallbank, Thomas and Lewis, Clyde. Civilization past present. Longman, 1999.EWB. Kublai Khans administration Encyclopedia of World Biographies. 2007. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http//www.notablebiographies.com/Ki-Lo/Kublai-Khan.htmlPolo, Marco. The Travels of Marco Polo .Cosimo, Inc. 2007.Silkroad. Marco Polo and His Travels. 2000. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http//www.silk-road.com/artl/marcopolo.shtml.