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Marco Polo
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Marco Polo

मार्को पोलो

Venetian explorer and merchant who travelled through Asia (1254–1324)

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Marco Polo (c. 1254 – 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the Marvels of the World and Il Milione, c. 1300), a book that described the then-mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China under the Yuan dynasty, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan, and other Asian societies.

Quick facts

Born
wd
Place of birth
Venice wd
Died
wd
Place of death
Venice wd
Citizenship
Republic of Venice wd
Occupation
merchant, diplomat, ambassador, world traveler, writer, entrepreneur wd
Spouse
Donata Badoer wd

About

Born in Venice, Marco learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, exploring many places along the Silk Road until they reached "Cathay". They were received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. Marco was appointed to serve as Kublai's foreign emissary, and he was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout the empire and Southeast Asia, visiting present-day Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. As part of this appointment, Marco also travelled extensively inside China, living in the emperor's lands for 17 years and seeing many things previously unknown to Europeans.

Around 1291, the Polos offered to accompany the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia; they arrived there around 1293. After leaving the princess, they travelled overland to Constantinople and then to Venice, returning home after 24 years. At this time, Venice was at war with Genoa. Marco joined the war effort on behalf of Venice and was captured by the Genoese. While imprisoned, he dictated stories of his travels to Rustichello da Pisa, a cellmate. He was released in 1299,…

Questions

When was Marco Polo born?
Marco Polo was born on 15 September 1254 in Venice.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Marco Polo · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikipedia (Nepali): मार्को पोलो · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Wikidata item Q6101 · CC0 1.0
  4. Image: Frontispice édition de Nuremberg 1477 (cropped).png by Unknown author Unknown author (Public domain)

Last updated · facts checked 14 November 2026

Cite this page

"Marco Polo". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/marco-polo. Retrieved 15 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Marco Polo, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Frontispice édition de Nuremberg 1477 (cropped).png — Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain.

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