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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
(.11 \r. N[II. TRAVELLING TU THE GREAT KAAN'S COURT
25
when Sultan I\Iansiír, the successor of Bundúl:dLír, was besieging the Castle of Markab, there arrived in Camp the Commander of the Temple (Kannanzdnár-ul Dewet) of the Country of Armenia, charged to negotiate on the part of the King of Sis (i.e. of Lesser Armenia, Leon III. 126S-12S9, successor of Hayton I. 1224-1268), and bringing presents from him and from the Master of the Temple, Berard's successor, William de Beaujeu (1273-1291). (III. 201.)—II. Y. and H. C.
CHAPTER XIII.
HOW MESSER NICOL() AND MESSER MAFFEO POLO, ACCOMPANIED BY MARK, TRAVELLED TO THE COURT OF THE GREAT KAAN.
~
.3
So the Two Brothers, and Mark along with them, pro-
ceeded on their way, and journeying on, summer and
winter, came at length to the Great Kaan, who was then
at a certain rich and great city, called KEMENFU.1 As to
what they met with on the road, whether in going or
coming, we shall give no particulars at present, because
we are going to tell you all those details in regular order
in the after part of this Book. Their journey back to
the Kaan occupied a good three years and a half, owing
to the bad weather and severe cold that they encountered.
And let me tell you in good sooth that when the Great
Kaan heard that Messers Nicolo and Maffeo Polo were
on their way back, he sent people a journey of full 4o
days to meet them ; and on this journey, as on their
former one, they were honourably entertained upon the
road, and supplied with all that they required.
0'
NOTE r.—The French texts read Clemeinzfu, Ramusio Clemen fu. The Pucci MS. guides us to the correct reading, having Clzennzenzsu (Zemensu) for Chemenfu. KAIPINGFU, meaning something like " City of Peace," and called by Rashiduddin Kaiminfu (whereby we see that Polo as usual adopted the Persian form of the name), was a city founded in 1256, four years before Kublai's accession, some distance to the north of the Chinese wall. It became Kublai's favourite summer residence, and was styled from 1264 Shanzgtu or " Upper Court." (See infra, Bk. I. eh. lxi.) It was known to the Mongols, apparently by a combination of the two names, as Shangdu Keibzrnz' . It appears in D'Anville's map under the name of Djao-Naiman Sume:
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