Marco....Polo....Marco....Polo, The Quest to Find Him in History

“How many readers, fascinated by the allure of Marco Polo’s travels on the Silk Road, have daydreamed  of following in the fabled Venetian’s footsteps?”  James Mustich, 1000 Books to Read Before You Die

Our next stop in the 1000 Books to Read before You Die, we land in the 1980s and embark on an expedition through Asia along what is left of the famed Silk Road.  This read has been one of my favorites so far in this journey to reading there 1000 books.  In Xanadu is a travel journal of sorts. The story is of this student that traces Marco Polo’s journey from Jerusalem to Xanadu in Mongolia in the year 1985.  The story is part educational, part unrequited love story, part political intrigue and an all-around excellent read.  The story is NOT tough to get through. 

In 2000, 6 weeks after marrying the most beautiful girl in the world, like Odysseus, I set off on an adventure that I never believed I would ever take.   I found myself at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC embarking with 30 senior Congressional staff members for a trip to Israel.  I was 24 years old, young and extremely naive.  I was not raised to be adventurous; I was not raised to want to see the world.  A trip to Israel was never on any list, let alone my bucket list.  Yet there I was on an El Al Flight heading to Asia in July of 2000.  For 10 days, I saw much of the Holy Land—Bethlehem, Capernaum, the Golan Heights, Tel Aviv, Ramallah, the Knesset, the Mount of Beatitude, the Dead Sea and ultimately Jerusalem.  I met with politicians from both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government.  For me the trip was a spiritual trip as much as a policy or tourism trip.  To this day I sit in church and point at map and show my daughters the places I had traveled.  I saw where Jesus Christ was born.  I saw where Christ died at least according to scripture and legend. 

William Hamilton-Dalrymple was a young student at Cambridge when he decided to retrace the journey of Italian merchant, pilgrim and explorer, Marco Polo.  As an Italian American, Marco Polo is in the pantheon of greats, maybe second only to Columbus.  Growing up my father let me watch the epic miniseries on Marco Polo and told me that Marco Polo brought pasta from china to Italy. This last point because at that time I would have eaten spaghetti 7 days a week for dinner.   Marco Polo is a fascinating character because legend has it that the Pope (Gregory X) at the time believe that there was an interest from Kublai Kahn, the emperor of the Mongols, to convert to Christianity. So, several priests along with the Polo Family, for he was joined by his father and uncle, set out for the palace at Xanadu. 

Both quests begin at the Church of the Sepulcher in Jerusalem.  Marco Polo obtained a phyle of holy oil to resent to Kublai Khan.  Mr. Dalrymple obtains one himself to bury when he arrives in Xanadu.  Dalrymple’s description of the church and the pilgrims—namely aggressive Eastern European women (did I mention large and overweight), who would beat you to death just to get you out of the way to touch the spot thought to be where the cross of Jesus Christ stood was largely the same experience I encountered at the church approximately 15 years later.

Dalrymple and companions travel through Israel, Cyprus, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China and then Mongolia.  William is accompanied for half the trip by what can only be described as a survivalist and in his words a fearless traveler, the lovely Laura.  In Pakistan, Laura leaves and William’s ex Louisa joins the trip.  From what I read, I thought William believed they may rekindle their romance along the trip, but it was not meant to be for the lovely Louisa was in love with someone else and would write him long love letters seemingly to William’s chagrin. 

Marco Polo dictated his memoirs about the trip later in line and that memoir is a part of 1000 Books to Read Before You Die.  I will eventually get there.  William is attempting to visit highlights from the Marco Polo manuscript.  In Syria, William and Laura travel through Aleppo.  Today we know the ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity that have been committed in Aleppo by the Syrian government and their Russian overlords.   In Turkey, William found some carpet weaving in another town he found silk spinning but mentioned.  The high point for me of the entire book was the trip through Iran, where he visits Sultaniya and where he discovers stories of the Magi.  William and Laura travel through Iran at the height of the Ayatollah Khomeini.  First William travels to Sultaniya. The emperor IL khan Uljetu built this city as the capitol of his empire.  The city reminds me about what the city of Aqaba from the Disney movies of Aladdin.  Sultaniya was built as Capitol for an empire—eventually housing 1 million people.  Once the Sultan died the city disappeared.  The only trace is the emperor’s sarcophagus. 

The most fascinating part of the story was the trip to the city in Iran (Saveh) where Marco Polo recorded seeing monuments to the Magi,  The Three King or the Magi or the Three Wise Men are the catalysts for the art of gift giving at Christmas when they brought gifts to the babe in the manger.  Much of the Wiseman stories are myths and legends however Marco Polo describes their Monuments and Dalrymple attempts to find them.  The Magi were Zoroastrians and their traditions have seemed into Christian teaching.  The gold, frankincense and myrrh were from a Zoroastrian culture.  According to Dalrymple, “.it could be shown that the Zoroastrians has also maintained and independent tradition of a visit to Bethlehem”.

The trip through China is harrowing for William and Louisa because they are being followed by the Chinese secret police.  They could not get visas into China at the time, so they sneak into the country evading on a cloak and dagger mission.  Sometimes sitting on a coal truck hiding.  By far this has been my favorite volume on the 1000 Books to Read Before You Die. I wish I could make a pilgrimage like this one time in my life.  I strongly urge all the 1000 Bookies to pick up a copy of In Xanadu and enjoy this adventure.  I learned so much from reading this book. 

Keep Reading My Friends!!!