Tracking Marco Polo (Search Book 4) by Tim Severin

Author:Tim Severin [Severin, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: 2015-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven – The Village of the Magi

The injury to my foot completely disrupted the plans of the Marco Polo Route Project. Washed, shaved, injected, X-rayed, disinfected and with my foot in plaster, I welcomed the other two to the luxurious oil company nursing home where I was laid up. Stan and Mike had done their own recuperating under the influence of a private swimming pool and gin, supplied through the generous hospitality of the Teheran manager of Richard Costain Ltd. The second sidecar had been abandoned, as it was also showing signs of strain, but the two motorcycles were once more roadworthy. The Marco Polo Route Project held a Council of War, and decided that we should have to split forces. The doctor had assured me that my foot would be out of action for at least two months, so motorcycling was impossible for me. Therefore Stan and Mike would take the two bikes and push on in a great Easterly sweep through Isfahan, Kirman and Kandahar to Kabul. I was to follow on as best I could, my task being to investigate Polo’s highly controversial route in Southern Persia and Northern Afghanistan.

As soon as this arrangement had been decided, Mike and Stan left on their journey. Their first objective was a small village called Aveh, which lies about 100 miles to the south-west of Teheran. To the inhabitants of the area there is nothing very special about Aveh. It is simply another village hidden in the barren plateau. But Marco Polo states quite categorically that Aveh was no less than the home of one of the Three Wise Men, and that from this particular comer of the Great Salt Steppe, the Magi journeyed to far Bethlehem. According to Marco:

In Persia there is a city called Saveh, from which the three Magi set out when they came to worship Jesus Christ. Here, too, they lie buried in three sepulchres of great size and beauty. Above each sepulchre is a square building with a domed roof of very fine workmanship. The one just beside the other. Their bodies are still whole, and they have hair and beards. One was named Balthazar, the second Gaspar, and the third Melchior. Messer Marco asked several of the inhabitants who these Magi were; but no one could tell him anything except that they were three kings who were buried there in days gone by. But at last he learnt what I will tell you.

Three days further on he found a town called Kala Atishparastan, the inhabitants of which declare that in bygone days the three kings of this country went to worship a new-born prophet and took with them three offerings — gold, frankincense, and myrrh — so as to discover whether this prophet was a god, or an earthly king, or a healer. For they said: ‘If he takes gold, he is an earthly king; if frankincense, a god; if myrrh, a healer.’ When they had come to the place where the prophet was born, the youngest of the three kings went in all alone to see the child.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.