Marco Polo's wild ride - Kamul

Marco Polo, a famous traveller and chronicler, was known for documenting the cultures of various regions and cities during his travels and through hearsay. He was particularly interested in salacious details about varying mores in these exotic locations.

One such place was Kamul, which is believed to be the Uighur homeland of Xinjiang. At the time of Marco Polo's travels, the Uighurs were Buddhists, but they later converted to Islam and have maintained that faith to this day. Visitors to Kamul were treated to hospitality that exceeded normal expectations. If a foreign traveler sought lodging at the home of a local resident, the host was overjoyed and would offer their wife's services to the guest while the host himself would retreat and not return until the guest's departure. The guest was free to enjoy the wife's company for as long as they wished, and the husband was not ashamed of this arrangement, but rather considered it an honor. The people of Kamul believed that this custom brought good luck and blessings from their gods and was necessary for the survival of their society.

The Xichang folks have a simple way to show guests peace and calm. A hat is hung or a signal given so the host knows the guest is still there and won't come back till the sign stays. This is a custom in the whole area.

In Tibet (mountains of Sichuan), a woman's worth is based on her partners before wed. This prompts women to offer sex to guests, even keeping mementos to show future husbands. The woman with the most mementos is considered the best and is happily wed as she's seen as lucky.

However, Marco Polo saw Kamul as a place of shame and described the men as disgraceful and the women as fair and promiscuous. It is difficult to determine the accuracy of his descriptions, as the area has been under conservative Islamic rule for centuries and any such cultural practices are unlikely to have been passed down through the generations.retained as part of the cultural memory of the region.

Marco Polo's book, "The Travels of Marco Polo," offers insight into the sexual customs of locals. It's also a fascinating read for the descriptions of animals and their habitats. Polo describes the unicorn on the island of Java and ends the debate on its nature. He also talks about the Andaman islanders who have dog-like faces and are cruel. The island of Mogadishu is home to the griffin, a large bird-like creature.

Polo's book is amazing in what it reveals, but also in what it fails to describe. As noted by Bayard (

"Don't Go There." The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 11 Oct. 2015, www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/don-t-go-there-a7033511.html.)

He was discreet about his time in China, even though he claims to have lived there a long time. No record of him exists in imperial archives. He also misses key details, such as the Great Wall and the tea ceremony, among others. He mentions small stories but fails to note the bound feet of Chinese women and cormorant fishing. He doesn't seem to have noticed ideograms. These improbabilities raise questions.

And here we are...