Marco Polo in Central Asia: 39: The Province of Canpicon

Canpicon, the capital of Tangut is a great and noble town. [1] The people are idolaters, and there are some who adore Mohammed and Christians who have three large beautiful churches.  The first one have monasteries and Abbeys according to their custom, with a very great number of idols, some of which are ten paces high, severally formed of wood, earth or stone, all beautifully covered with gold and  ivory.  Their priests live more respectably than others and guard themselves against luxury, though they do not hold it for a very great sin.  They observe the lunar months like ours, and in one of them do not kill any beast or bird.  For five days they do not eat food that has had life, and live more strictly than usual.  They take some thirty wives or as many as they have wealth to maintain, and give them a dowry in beasts, slaves and money; but the first wife ranks always as the principal.  If any of them do not please him, she may be divorced.  They marry their cousins and even the wives of their father, and do not regard as sins many things which we account great ones; for they live like beasts.  Therefore, let us leave them and go to the north.  But I must tell you that Messeri Nicolo, Mafio, and Marco remained in that city a year, on particular business, which I need not enter into.  We shall now go sixty days northwards.

Notes:-

1. Canpicon: The modern day Zhongwei of Ningxia Autonomous Region of China.  The city is famous for Wolfberry and Gobi watermelon.

End of the Section.

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