Essay for Michelle Obama
Yousef Hafez
P.S. 70 4-409 11-21-09
Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy on September 15, 1254. Marco Polo was an Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia to China. Marco was a teenager at the time when he started traveling, he traveled with his father Nicolo Polo, and his uncle Maffeo Polo, they spent about 24 years traveling. Marco Polo’s voyage began with a sailing from Zaitun to the kingdom of Champa in south Vietnam, a distance he estimated to about 2400 kilometers. Champa was a main source of aloeswood, much after threw out Islamic lands. Although he did not visit Java but he wanted to, he says it is “the biggest island in the world, a very rich island, producing pepper, nutmegs, spikenard, galingale, cubebs and cloves and all the precious spices.” . Java of course did not produce all the spices he listed like the cloves and the nutmegs. They came from Moluccas, the pepper may have been imported from Malabar. But all this stuff was available in its markets. Marco says that Khubilai Khan had never been able to conquer Java. In fact, he attacked the year after Marco’s visit, following attempts against Burma, Champa, and Annam. He estimates the circumference of Sri Lanka at 2400 miles, adding that it was once much bigger, measuring 3500, “as appears in the mariners’ charts of this sea.” He explains, “The north wind blows so strongly in these parts that it has submerged a great part of this island under the sea.” In conclusion, Marco polo was a good explorer he sailed around the seas. He explored a lot of countries and lands all over the world, he sailed threw the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian
P.S. 70 4-409 11-21-09
Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy on September 15, 1254. Marco Polo was an Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia to China. Marco was a teenager at the time when he started traveling, he traveled with his father Nicolo Polo, and his uncle Maffeo Polo, they spent about 24 years traveling. Marco Polo’s voyage began with a sailing from Zaitun to the kingdom of Champa in south Vietnam, a distance he estimated to about 2400 kilometers. Champa was a main source of aloeswood, much after threw out Islamic lands. Although he did not visit Java but he wanted to, he says it is “the biggest island in the world, a very rich island, producing pepper, nutmegs, spikenard, galingale, cubebs and cloves and all the precious spices.” . Java of course did not produce all the spices he listed like the cloves and the nutmegs. They came from Moluccas, the pepper may have been imported from Malabar. But all this stuff was available in its markets. Marco says that Khubilai Khan had never been able to conquer Java. In fact, he attacked the year after Marco’s visit, following attempts against Burma, Champa, and Annam. He estimates the circumference of Sri Lanka at 2400 miles, adding that it was once much bigger, measuring 3500, “as appears in the mariners’ charts of this sea.” He explains, “The north wind blows so strongly in these parts that it has submerged a great part of this island under the sea.” In conclusion, Marco polo was a good explorer he sailed around the seas. He explored a lot of countries and lands all over the world, he sailed threw the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian