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Red: Places Marco Polo visited
Blue: Places Marco Polo documented but did not visit

NOTE: to Christopher and Ross, new edits since reengagement are highlighted. Reorganized sentences and grammatical edits are not.

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"arab renaissance" sourced from https://mvslim.com/ 

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Badakhshan, Afghanistan important knowledge 

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Badakhshan, Afghanistan important knowledge 

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Badakhshan during the time of Marco polo's journey was according to him (primary source) a "very rich one" and "very cold" it produces a great number of excellent horses exceptional for their speed used for mountainous and rough tails or general terrain. Moving on to goods, This country has wide disposal of precocious minerals from Balas Rubies, silver to azure, and even diamonds. Judging the historical context beforehand it shouldn't be surprising that the king amasses most of these precious rocks, being proud of their bloodline and status as rulers, these gems only solidify their position as monarchs. Marco polo on his account is fairly impartial and analytical as being an experienced merchant he sees the importance in hoarding precious minerals to retain value.

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a internal view of the Persian royal linage sourced from "https://commons.wikimedia.org/" 

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Badakhshan, Afghanistan Unique historical context and point of view

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Badakhshan, Afghanistan Unique historical context and point of view

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Badakhshan is a province in Afghanistan, a great kingdom ruled by a Hereditary monarchy of royal bloodlines descended from king Alexander and the daughters of Darius the 3rd according to Marco polo. (primary source) although a lot about these bloodlines and family trees are primarily speculative like how Darius the 3rd's daughter Drypetis was killed or what her sister Stateira II real name is according to Wikipedia (secondary source).

What Marco Polo is trying to say here is that most of the kings of this land are descended from Alexander the Great, and speak in regard to him. This definitely is a deep rooted historical impact of the conquest of Alexander as when he overthrew Darius the 3rd he married his daughter and niece.  Based on this ancient historical context we can guess speaks volumes for Marco Polo's respect and perspective for this country being a western European though having disputes with their Islamic religions judging prior context like the crusades.

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The Mongols were one of the largest powers of their time, and swept over Europe with violence and mercy. How did they do it? When a Mongol prince goes forth to war, he takes with him any multiple of 10 horsemen, say 10,000. He will appoint 10 officers, who each appoint 10 officers, who each appoint 10 officers, etc. Therefore, each person only has to command 10 men, and only has to report to one person. This organization of ranks allowed a swift takeover.
In some villages, the Mongols would show up at your door or at the entrance to a town. Those who smartly surrendered, knowing they could not defeat the Mongols, were spared. While those who resisted were captured or killed.

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Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has very few roads, instead there are mostly canals and footbridges. The Seventh Crusade met defeat at the hands of Egyptian forces. Venice, Italy was becoming increasingly independent from the Mongol empire. This is most likely due to the steadily increasing wealth because the silk road was at the peak of its usefulness.

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The Merchant Ships of Manzi That Sail Upon the Indian Seas and the Great Island of Java

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The Merchant Ships of Manzi That Sail Upon the Indian Seas and the Great Island of Java

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The merchants ships of Manzi were ships that sailed the Indian seas during the height of the Silk Road. They carried 200-300 mariners, and 5000 to 6000 baskets of pepper. They used massive oars to maneuver when there was no wind. These ships were made of fir timber, and broke down over time. As it was unrealistic to construct new ships every couple years, a new strategy to preserve ships was created. Mariners would nail another layer of wood to the hull of the ship, consequently strengthening it and increasing its longevity. They repeat this process until the ship has 6 layers of wood. Once the  ship has all 6 layers they no longer take it to the sea. They instead use it for coasting until it needs repair one more time, they they break the ship. The need for these massive vessels stems from increased production and trade because of the  prominence of the Silk Road. Repairing the ships in such a way allowed for more efficient use of resources and time.

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The kingdom of Kashgar in the late 13th century was a nation located in central Asia and still is present today. It is found in “Situated at the foot of the Pamirs (mountains) where the ranges of the Tien Shan and the Kunlun Mountains join” according to Britannica (secondary source) but for its time had many towns and villages. The greatest of these was Kashgar, the city itself. It was immense for its time, stretching a wide five-day journey. Which had many effects some long term and short term  But due to historical trends, like the expansion of the Mongol Empire, the people of Kashgar were forced to pay tribute to the Great Khan, this is according to Marco Polo (primary).
On the other hand, trends like increasing travel or trade via the silk road had resulted in an increasing populus living primarily by trade and handicraft like many others which granted more business opportunities for societies from 1200 to 1400 CE worldwide like Kashgar. But this city stands alone as quite an attraction in central Asia having many beautiful gardens, vineyards, and estates giving rise to city districts of people from all over the world.
Its number of languages and religions is a list too long to speak of due to the constant travel and visiting from foreign countries for trade. There were as well a handful of diasporas present here scattered in several caravanserais or central courtyards where small communities of Jews, Muslims or Christians were temporarily stationed, leaving behind goods or belongings either lost or sold which left a lasting cultural and historical imprint upon the land.

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The Mongol Empire actually covered what is now China, Mongolia, Siberia, Baghdad, and a lot of Russia. The Mongols were a powerful force that swept over much of Asia. In the early 1100s, the Mongol empire emerged as several nomadic tribes were united under the new rule of Genghis Khan. He decided to train them to be skilled horsemen and archers. Over time, the army grew and they began to conquer areas around and on the silk road. Marco Polo came into contact with the Mongols when he arrived near what is modern-day China. Here, Mongol soldiers could be hired to safely guide merchants. The expansion of the Mongol empire also helped link "China in the East to India in the South to the Armenians in the West, all the way to the doorstep of Europe." -Marco Polo Primary Source.

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One class of people in the province of Turkey were the Turkomans. Turkomans are Muslims, who live in the mountains of Turkey. They occupy themselves with keeping excellent horses and mules, as well as farming in their good pasture. The Turkomans made sure to breed only the best horses and mules so they can better and quicker navigate the mountains which they lived on. They are described as a rude people with a uncouth language of their own by Marco Polo. Polo was a Roman Catholic, and often held prejudice towards Islam in his accounts, so we must take the ladder with a grain of salt. The other two groups of people in the province of Turkey were the Armenians and the Greeks, who live mixt with each other in towns and villagers. The people mostly trade and make handicrafts for work. This region is famous for it's silk.

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This is the place of birth and death for the famous merchant/explorer "Marco Polo". Polo was born September 15, 1254. Which is only 4 years after the 7th Crusade. and he died January 8, 1324. Although he was born to a wealthy Venetian merchant family, much of Polo's childhood was spent parentless, and he was raised by an extended family. Polo's mother died when he was young, and his father and uncle, successful jewel merchants Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, were in Asia for much of Polo's youth. It is very possible that this is why Polo decided to be a merchant. Both of his only role models were also merchants and most likely taught him how to be a good one at a very young age. He had an exceptional education where he learned how to read, write, and do basic math. (Which were big things at the time.) This made sure he was smart enough to not get scammed while in different countries and tribes. All the while made him smart enough to also possibly scam the places he didn’t like. Polo was a Christian and the Crusades were not too far in the past. The most recent one being only 4 years before his birth (1250 AD, the 7th crusade) There was bad blood between Islam and Christianity and both religions were spreading rapidly during this time of Polo. Meaning he had both reason and the ability to be mischievous towards the Islamic countries. Though there is also a chance he didn't do this because he might be killed or removed forcefully from the country. Either way, Polo was a wealthy intelligent man with a lot of options while on the silk road.

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The City of Hormuz was a major trading city along the Silk Road. Although the city itself is described as a sickly, hot place full of peril and bad characters, it was a hub of commerce for international merchants. Hormuz was the capital city of the region. The people of the region do not live in Hormuz, they live in the surrounding areas which are full of fresh fruit and nature. These people have a unique diet, as they do not eat for the most part meat or bread like most other places. Instead, they eat a lot of fish and vegetables. This is because fish and vegetables costed much less than things like beef or pork or bread. And the people living there were in poverty. This is likely because the king would take the property of someone whom dies, which makes it so the descendants of those who died don't inherit any of the riches or clothes. This area was also famous for its powerful, strong-tasting wine. The high temperature and constant sun caused an ailing population. And if anyone in the kingdom, be it a foreign merchant or a person of the city, were to die, the king would seize all of that person's property.

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The people of the Malabar Coast are Idolaters, meaning they worship their idols. This area is depicted by Marco Polo's travels to be close to the north star. The Malabar Coast is home to pirates and near the monsoon winds, which the pirates use to their advantage to take ships and the goods they are transporting. Malabar is a capital city of India at this time, and is a trade point for spices such as ginger, pepper, cinnamon, turbit, and cloves. Other non-spice goods that can be found here are; copper, silk, gold, sandals, buckram, and nuts.
In our primary source, Marco Polo states how the idolaters "have a language of their own, and a king of their own, and pay tribute to nobody." The people of Malabar aren't swayed by religious practices whether in trade or travel, unlike many other villages who could be influenced by their religions to do or not do something.
Salt is something that was very new at the time and could be found here. Salt was the best thing since sliced bread. It wasn't used as a spice like modern-day, but instead to preserve food and goods. This was monumental because now goods could be taken farther and they would last longer.