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    This excerpt describes the personal appearance and living situation of Kublai Khan, the Great Kaan and ruler of the Mongol Empire, as recorded by Marco Polo. It notes that Kublai Khan was of average height with a healthy physique, fair complexion, and had four permanent wives who each had their own grand court of over 10,000 attendants. It also details how Kublai Khan obtained beautiful concubines, with 100 maidens sent to him each year from the Ungrat tribe who were examined and those deemed attractive and healthy would serve him sexually in shifts of six for three days and nights at a time.

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    Primary source from Marco Polo about encounters in China

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    This excerpt describes the personal appearance and living situation of Kublai Khan, the Great Kaan and ruler of the Mongol Empire, as recorded by Marco Polo. It notes that Kublai Khan was of average height with a healthy physique, fair complexion, and had four permanent wives who each had their own grand court of over 10,000 attendants. It also details how Kublai Khan obtained beautiful concubines, with 100 maidens sent to him each year from the Ungrat tribe who were examined and those deemed attractive and healthy would serve him sexually in shifts of six for three days and nights at a time.

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    13 views1 page

    Marco Polo 1

    Uploaded by

    liberty3051
    This excerpt describes the personal appearance and living situation of Kublai Khan, the Great Kaan and ruler of the Mongol Empire, as recorded by Marco Polo. It notes that Kublai Khan was of average height with a healthy physique, fair complexion, and had four permanent wives who each had their own grand court of over 10,000 attendants. It also details how Kublai Khan obtained beautiful concubines, with 100 maidens sent to him each year from the Ungrat tribe who were examined and those deemed attractive and healthy would serve him sexually in shifts of six for three days and nights at a time.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 1

    THEMONGOLSINWORLDHISTORY|ASIAFOREDUCATORS|COLUMBIAUNIVERSITY

    http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols

    ExcerptfromTheBookofSerMarcoPolo:
    TheVenetianConcerningKingdomsandMarvelsoftheEast

    Volume1,translatedandeditedbyColonelSirHenryYule
    (London:JohnMurray,1903)

    BOOKSECOND.PARTI.
    CHAPTERVIII.CONCERNINGTHEPERSONOFTHEGREATKAAN

    The personal appearance of the Great Kaan, Lord of Lords, whose name is Cublay, is
    suchasIshallnowtellyou.Heisofagoodstature,neithertallnorshort,butofamiddleheight.
    He has a becoming amount of flesh, and is very shapely in all his limbs. His complexion is
    whiteandred,theeyesblackandfine,thenosewellformedandwellseton.Hehasfourwives,
    whomheretainspermanentlyashislegitimateconsorts;andtheeldestofhissonsbythosefour
    wivesoughtbyrightstobeemperorImeanwhenhisfatherdies.Thosefourladiesarecalled
    empresses,buteachisdistinguishedalsobyherpropername.Andeachofthemhasaspecial
    court of her own, very grand and ample; no one of them having fewer than 300 fair and
    charmingdamsels.Theyhavealsomanypagesandeunuchs,andanumberofotherattendants
    ofbothsexes;sothateachoftheseladieshasnotlessthan10,000personsattachedtohercourt.

    WhentheEmperordesiresthesocietyofoneofthesefourconsorts,hewillsometimes
    send for the lady to his apartment and sometimes visit her at her own. He has also a great
    numberofconcubines,andIwilltellyouhowheobtainsthem.

    You must know that there is a tribe of Tartars called Ungrat, who are noted for their
    beauty.Noweveryyearanhundredofthemostbeautifulmaidensofthistribearesenttothe
    Great Kaan, who commits them to the charge of certain elderly ladies dwelling in his palace.
    And these old ladies make the girls sleep with them, in order to ascertain if they have sweet
    breath [and do not snore], and are sound in all their limbs. Then such of them as are of
    approved beauty, and are good and sound in all respects, are appointed to attend on the
    Emperorbyturns.Thussixofthesedamselstaketheirturnforthreedaysandnights,andwait
    onhimwhenheisinhischamberandwhenheisinhisbed,toservehiminanyway,andtobe
    entirelyathisorders.Attheendofthethreedaysandnightstheyarerelievedbyothersix.And
    sothroughouttheyear,therearereliefsofmaidensbysixandsix,changingeverythreedays
    andnights.

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