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One of the most well-known Europeans to travel the silk road in Medieval times was Marco Polo (1245-1324), a merchant, explorer and writer who recorded his travels in the book "Livres des merveilles du monde"

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Marco Polo was born in 1254. His family were Ventians, but it is unclear if he was actually born in Venice or if the birth took place on the island of Curzola off the Dalmatian coast, where his father and uncle had established a trading post.

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The Polos reached Kublai Khan’s summer residence Shant-tu in May 1275. Kublai Khan new that they were on their way, and had sent a royal escort to greet them.

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He began his journey in 1271, alongside his father Nicollo and uncle Maffeo.

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Marco Polo’s mother died when he was just a child, after which he was taken care of by his aunt and uncle.

The Polo brothers returned to Venice in April 1269 and the now teenaged Marco could finally be reunited with his father. He recieved a good education that included, among other things, classes in French and Italian.

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Later, the Polo brother’s embarked on a new journey, and this time they brought Marco with them. This trip, which would end up taking 24 years since they stayed for very long in China; The Polos weren’t the first Europeans to visit China, but Marco Polo was the first European to publish a detailed account of it.

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Nicollo and Mafeo had alredy been in china for a year but they were sent back by Kublai Khan and it took them 3 years to went back to Italy.

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They had finally been able to deliver the letter from Kublai Khan to the pope, with them on their new journey east, the Polo family brought letters and gifts from the pope that they were to give to Kublai Khan.The Polo family pushed on without them, traveling through Armenia, Persia, and Afghanistan, and following a route that went over the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia to get to China.

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Kublai Khan took a liking to the young Marco Polo and appointed him to high posts in his administration. Already well-traveled and capable of speaking several different languages, Polo was sent by the Khan on a number of special missions to various places in China, Burma, and India.

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According to the Silk Road Foundation: “The Polos stayed in Khan's court for 17 years, acquiring great wealth in jewels and gold. They were anxious to be on the move since they feared that if Kublai - now in his late seventies - were to die, they might not be able to get their considerable fortune out of the country.

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Eventually, when the Polo’s had been with the Khan for 17 years, they got his permission to leave and head back to Europe. They were assigned one last task: escorting the Mongol princess Kokachin to her betrothed Persian prince Arghun.