In the second installment of our medieval travelers series, we follow Marco Polo into the deserts of Iran and learn about the hazards of the road, including a lethal wind.

Today’s Text

  • Polo, Marco. The Book of Ser Marco Polo, the Venetian, Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East.  Translated and edited by Henry Yule, 2nd rev. ed., Vol. I, John Murray, 1875. Google Books.

Footnote Background Music: from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (piano concerto version composed in 1874, at the same time Yule was producing his translation of Polo), as performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra.

Image: Image of the Salt Desert in Iran, by Jeanne Menjoulet (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmenj/9261280308/) [CC By 2.0]

Salt Desert, Iran (photo by Jeanne Merjoulet)