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One of the most well-known Europeans to travel the silk road in Medieval times.

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He 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.

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He died 1324 in Venice, Italy.

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The Polos - Marco, his father, Niccolò, and his uncle, Maffeo - had been traveling for three and a half years when they finally achieved their objective - a long awaited meeting with the powerful Mongol leader Kublai Khan.

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This historic event took place in 1275 at the Khan´s luxurious summer capital in Shangdu (now northern China).

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Marco Polo had started this trip more than 9000 kilometers away in Venice when he was just a teenager.

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The Polo´s spent 17 years (1275-1292) in China before they received permission to return by the Khan.

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After Marco Polo returned home, he completed a book about his trip, full of details about his amazing cultural experiences, his travels along the Silk Road and Asian cities that he transverses, among other things, published around the year 1300.

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They made themselves useful to the Khan, and undertook various missions and task for him. It is likely that the Khan considered it an honor.

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Statue of Marco Polo in Zhenglan Banner, China, close to where Polo is thought to have met Mongol leader Kubai Khan.

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The trip took about 24 years due to the long time spent in China. It has been assumed that the Polo´s travelled along the Northern Silk Road, although the possibility of a southern route has also been advanced by some scholars.