A traveller who followed new lines on the return of his expedition to the east was Hayton, King of Lesser Armenia, in 1224–69, whose journey was described by a member of his retinue. It led him (returning) through the Urumtsi region and the Ili valley, the neighbourhood of the modern Kulja and Aulie-ata, the Syr-darya valley, Samarkand, Bokhara, Merv, and northern Persia. Next follows the greatest name among the eastern travellers of this period, and one of the greatest among all; that of the Venetian Marco Polo (_c._ 1254–1324). His father Nicolo and his uncle Maffeo had travelled, before his birth, to China and established friendly relations with Kublai Khan. That ruler sent them back to Europe to ask the Pope to despatch a large embassy to his court, for he was anxious to extend his relations with the western world and his knowledge of western life. There was a long delay owing to an interregnum in the papacy, nor were the brothers able to obtain the large following the Khan had desired; but they started back to China themselves in 1271, and Marco accompanied them. They proceeded by way of Badakshan, the Pamirs, Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan, Lop-nor (where they covered ground not again travelled by a European for five centuries), and the desert of Gobi. Marco Polo rose in favour at the court of the Khan. Among many activities he was employed on a mission to the Indies, and no opportunity arose for him to return home until 1292. He was then sent to accompany a Persian embassy on its return journey by sea, by way of Sumatra and India. The journey entailed long delays, and Marco only reached Venice in 1295. He subsequently dictated his experiences while a captive in Genoa, having been taken prisoner in a naval encounter between Genoa and Venice at Curzola in 1298. They were taken down by a fellow-captive of literary ability, Rusticiano of Pisa. His geographical achievements have been thus summarized[4]:-- [4] Yule and Beazley’s article on “Polo” in _Ency. Brit._ (11th ed.), vol. xxii.