A major figure in Polo’s tales was the Grand Khan (most likely a fictionalized version of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan), whose opulent court and persona especially fascinated Columbus. Polo supposedly reached this court far off in Asia—beyond Constantinople, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Afghanistan—where he discovered a jewel-encrusted paradise of luxury, learning, and power. But what most intrigued Columbus about the Grand Khan was that, according to Polo, though he was not a Christian he wanted to become one.
