Marco Polo is known for spending 17 years at the court of which ruler?

• A. Kublai Khan
• B. Genghis Khan
• C. Suleiman the Magnificent
• D. Qin Shi Huang

Answer: (A)

Marco Polo spent 17 years at the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler who established the Yuan Dynasty in China. He traveled along the Silk Road to Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing) and entered the Khan’s administration, serving in various missions and observing how the vast empire was governed. This experience gave him an unusually detailed view of Mongol rule and Chinese society that he later described in his travels. The other names come from different times and places: Genghis Khan preceded Kublai and Polo’s lifetime; Suleiman the Magnificent led the Ottoman Empire centuries later; Qin Shi Huang founded the Qin Dynasty in ancient China long before Polo’s era. Therefore, the correct ruler is Kublai Khan.