Marco Polo
Sites visited by Marco Polo during his travels. Marco Polo was a "Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295". (wiki)
Connected WHS must be supported by evidence from his writing and only include places where it is likely that he visited the core zone.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Beijing Central Axis | ICOMOS ackowledges the 'Travels of Marco Polo' can be considered a 'valuable source of information' in relation to the nominated property, but not enough for 'global significance'. "ICOMOS notes that while the Travels of Marco Polo is an important literary work, it is not solely associated with the nominated property and its timeframe corresponds only to the initial phase of the Axis during the Yuan Dynasty and not to the Ming Dynasty when its major development took place. The nomination dossier mentions that the book describes in detail the layout of the nominated property when it was established as Dadu, and ICOMOS considers that as such, it can be used as a valuable source of information, but the association does not itself demonstrate outstanding global significance." - AB Evaluation | |
| Classical Gardens of Suzhou | Marco Polo likely visited and was impressed by the gardens in Suzhou. While his writings don't explicitly mention the gardens, his descriptions of the city as the "Venice of the East" due to its canals and waterways, and his praise for the city's beauty and wealth, suggest he would have encountered and appreciated the classical gardens. Suzhou's gardens, renowned for their harmony between nature and human design, were a prominent feature of the city during Polo's time. | |
| Grand Canal | "In the late 1200s, Marco Polo traveled extensively through China and his trips included time on the Grand Canal, then a major artery for shipping silk, porcelain, and wine." (wiki) | |
| Hiraizumi | "Some say that accounts of the sparkling light reflecting off the Konjiki-do led the Venetian traveller Marco Polo to describe Japan as a land so rich that all the rooves were made of gold." | |
| Istanbul | Passed through on his return to Venice | |
| Mahabalipuram | While he may not have explicitly documented a visit to Mahabalipuram, historical records indicate he referred to the site as the "Seven Pagodas", which aligns with the cluster of temples in Mahabalipuram. | |
| Old City of Acre | He received his credentials and picked up his 2 "Friar" travelling companions there | |
| Old City of Jerusalem | He visited to pick up the holy oil following Kublai Khan's request to his father Niccolo on his own earlier trip | |
| Qalhat | Marco Polo wrote of Qalhat: “Calatu (his name for Qalhat) is a great city, within a gulf that bears the name of Calatu. It is a noble city, and lies 600 miles from Dhufar towards the northwest, upon the seashore. The people are Saracens and are subject to Hormos. And whenever the King of Hormos is at war with some prince more potent than himself, he betakes himself to this city of Calatu, because it is very strong, both from its positions and from its fortifications. They grow no corn there, but get it from abroad, for every merchant vessel that comes brings some. The haven is very large and good, and is frequented by numerous ships with goods from India, and from this city the spices and other merchandise are distributed among the cities and towns of the interior. They export also many good Arab horses to India. For as I have told you before the number of horses exported from this and other cities to India is something astonishing“. | |
| Quanzhou | "In 1291, Marco Polo visited Quanzhou, exclaiming that is was "one of the two largest ports in the world"." (Nomination file, p. 284) | |
| Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple | Marco Polo, during his visit to the Kakatiya empire, allegedly called the temple "the brightest star in the galaxy of temples" (wiki) | |
| Site of Xanadu | opened eyes of the world to China and the marvels of Xanadu (AB ev) | |
| Socotra Archipelago | Later, on the 13th century, the great Venetian seafarer, Marco Polo, reported: "The inhabitants are baptized Christians and have an archbishop. ... It should explain that the archbishop of Socotra has nothing to do with the pope of Rome, but is subject to an archbishop who lives in Baghdad. ... You should know also that, if the archbishop of Socotra dies, his successor must be sent from Baghdad, otherwise there could never be an archbishop here." (nom file) | |
| Tabriz Bazaar | ||
| Tajik National Park | visited the Pamir mountains and wrote about them (Marco Polo may have travelled along the Panj River - wiki) | |
| The Persian Qanat | While in Kerman, Iran (three qanats there are inscribed), he described them as a "river" connected to wells, visible from the surface. These underground channels are known as qanats and are a system for transporting water. Marco Polo's description of them is one of the earliest Western accounts of this unique irrigation system. | |
| Venice and its Lagoon | Born and returned there | |
| West Lake | Marco Polo apparently visited Hangzhou. He wrote about the lake too (see link). There is even a statue of him by the lake. | |
| Yazd | In 1272 it was visited by Marco Polo, who remarked on the city's fine silk-weaving industry. | |
| Yungang Grottoes | Visited Yungang Caves while in Datong, and wrote about it; Marco Polo praised Datong's weapons manufacturing industry and the Yungang Grottoes. |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Marco Polo?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source