In the Footsteps of Marco Polo (2008) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The Iranian government denied them entry when they initially attempted to enter the country. This was a significant geopolitical barrier since the documentary took place during a period of strained US-Iran relations. However, after their persistence and following their journey through other parts of Marco Polo's route, they were eventually granted a one-month visa, becoming the first Americans to receive such permission since the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Foreshadowing: The summary notes they planned to visit Iran on their return journey after following the route of Marco Polo's father and uncle toward Bukhara.

• iran visa
• denied entry
• iranian government
• us-iran relations
• first americans post-1979

Inspired by Marco Polo's own diplomatic strategies, Belliveau and O'Donnell were provided with a golden paiza, an official tablet from Kublai Khan, by local authorities. This tablet granted them safe passage and support during their travels through hostile territories, functioning as a diplomatic passport that commanded protection from local officials and warlords.

• golden paiza
• kublai khan
• safe passage
• diplomatic passport
• hostile territories

The Wakhan Corridor in northeastern Afghanistan was described as the crown jewel because it was considered the most legendary and remote part of their quest. According to the local leader Shah Sayid Muhammad Ishmael, Belliveau and O'Donnell became the first Westerners to traverse this legendary corridor in generations, making their achievement historically significant.

• wakhan corridor
• afghanistan
• crown jewel
• first westerners
• remote region

After waiting nearly three weeks at the Friendship Bridge (the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan), they managed to cross by forging visas and paying a bribe of $100. This was necessary because they faced resistance from the Federal Security Service, the successor to the Soviet KGB, which controlled the border crossing.

• friendship bridge
• afghanistan border
• bribe
• visa forging
• soviet kgb

Their group was ambushed and briefly held hostage by ethnic Hazaras, who are descendants of a tribe that had been attacked by Polo's caravan centuries earlier. With the aid of heavily armed bodyguards provided through their diplomatic connections, they were able to resolve the situation and continue their journey.

• hostage
• ethnic hazaras
• ambush
• armed bodyguards
• hostile territory

When Iran denied them entry initially, Belliveau and O'Donnell decided to follow the trail of Niccolo Polo (Marco's father) and Maffeo Polo (Marco's uncle) toward Bukhara. This alternate route was historically significant because the Polo family had opened up the land routes to China, known as the Silk Road, years before Marco's own travels.

• niccolo polo
• maffeo polo
• bukhara
• marco polo family
• original silk road route

In China, they prepared for an intense six-week trek across the unforgiving Taklamakan Desert, using camels and horses for transportation. They resupplied in Kashgar before embarking on this arduous journey, which was one of the most challenging physical portions of their expedition.

• taklamakan desert
• kashgar
• camel trekking
• six weeks
• desert crossing

After being initially rejected at the Iranian border, they eventually became the first Americans to receive a one-month visa to Iran since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. This breakthrough represented a major diplomatic achievement and allowed them to complete Marco Polo's route through Persia, experiencing Iranian hospitality firsthand.

• iran visa
• first americans
• 1979 revolution
• historic breakthrough
• persia

They traveled only by land and sea, eschewing airplanes, to retrace Polo's 25,000-mile route and capture visual evidence of the locations Polo described. By visiting nearly 200 locations that Polo had documented, including sites like the Reclining Buddha in Zhangye and various Silk Road cities, they were able to verify the accuracy of Polo's detailed descriptions.

• verify accounts
• visual evidence
• travel route
• Silk Road locations
• historical verification

In Jerusalem, during the Eastern Orthodox Christian celebration of Easter, they obtained holy oil from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This paralleled Marco Polo's own spiritual journey, as he had also visited this site during Easter, making it a meaningful symbolic connection to Polo's historical pilgrimage.

• jerusalem
• holy oil
• church of holy sepulchre
• easter
• eastern orthodox

Their return to Venice in March 1995 was marked by celebration and grandeur. They were carried down the grand canal in a theatrical regatta of gondolas, ending in St Mark's Square amidst ringing church bells. The Venetian mayor awarded them the keys to the city, and they visited the Biblioteca Nazionale to view Marco Polo's last will and testament, an experience long denied to them before their historic journey.

• venice
• grand canal
• gondola
• keys to city
• marco polo will

Denis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell, two adventurers from Queens, New York, started their expedition in Venice, Italy. Their mission was to retrace Marco Polo's 25,000-mile route traveling only by land and sea, without using airplanes, to validate the authenticity of Polo's detailed account in 'The Travels of Marco Polo,' also known as 'The Book of the Marvels of the World.'

• venice
• expedition start
• queens new york
• travels of marco polo
• land and sea only