Remembering Ibn Battuta, The Renowned Traveler on His Birth Anniversary

Today, Feb. 24 marks the birthday anniversary of the renowned Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta.

Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta was a Berber Muslim scholar and traveler. He was well known for his traveling and undertaking journey called the 'Rihla'. 

His excursion lasted for a period of almost thirty years, covering nearly the whole of the known Islamic world and beyond. 

Ibn Battuta was born in Tangier, Morocco, on the 24th of February 1304, during the time of the Abbasid dynasty. 

The prominent African excursionist was commonly known as Shams ad-Din. His family was of Berber origin and had a tradition of service as judges. 

After receiving an education in Islamic law, he chose to travel. He left his house in June 1325, when he was twenty-one years of age, and set off from his hometown initially on a 'hajj' pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina, a journey that took him 16 months.

Moreover, he continued traveling and did not return to Morocco for at least 24 years. His journeys were mostly by land. 

Furthermore, the excursionist first began his voyage by exploring the lands of the Middle East. 

After that, he sailed down the Red Sea to Mecca. He crossed the huge Arabian Desert and traveled to Iraq and Iran, according to britannica.com.

In 1330, he set off again and began a new discovery journey, down the Red Sea to Aden city in Yemen and then to Tanzania. 

Later on, Ibn Battuta decided to visit India. He was greeted open-heartedly by the Sultan of Delhi. 

There he was appointed to the position of judge. He stayed in India for a period of 8 years and then left for China. 

Ibn Battuta left for another adventure in 1352. He then went south, crossed the Sahara desert, and visited the African kingdom of Mali.

At that time, little was known about the geography beyond the Islamic world, and Ibn Battuta optimistically estimated that the trip across the red sea and the Indian Ocean would be rapid.

In order to provide a comprehensive description of places in the Muslim world, Ibn Battuta probably relied on hearsay evidence and made extensive use of accounts by earlier travelers.

The Muslim wise man reported that he experienced culture shock in some of the regions he visited. The domestic habits traditionals, customs, and of recently converted people did not fit his conservative Muslim background. 

Among Turks and Mongols, he was astonished at the way girls behaved. They were allowed freedom of speech. He also felt that the dress customs in the Malpes and some sub-Saharan regions in Africa were too revealing.

Experience taught Ibn Battuta that travel was a more important source of knowledge than books. He made pilgrimage trips to Mecca and traveled extensively in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Oman and a few trading ports on the coast of East Africa. 

According to historical sources, he traveled overland through Central Asia and reached Sind in 1333.

Meanwhile, he had heard about Mohammad bin Tughlaq as a generous ruler. Tughlaq was so impressed by Battuta’s scholarship that he appointed him as the “Qazi” or Judge of Delhi.

In 1342, Tughlaq ordered Ibn Battuta to proceed to China as the sultan’s envoy to the Mongol ruler. Battuta also visited some famous places such as Malpes, Sri Lanka, and Bengal and Assam.

Ibn Battuta’s description of Indian territory was most authentic. He said they were full of exciting opportunities for those who had the necessary drive, resources and skills.

Although Ibn Battuta is often credited with the first circumnavigation on the globe, he did so on a technicality: He first made a trip from Morocco to the Arabian peninsula, eastward via the Indian Ocean, and then later made the famous westward voyage that brought him to the Malpes.

So Ibn Battuta did cover the entire region and terrain, but it was not a strict point A to point A, round-the-world trip, and it was made in several different directions.

Ultimately, the prince of travelers returned home to Tangier in 1355. It is questionable whether Ibn Battuta visited all the places that he described. He was appointed a judge in Morocco and died in 1368. The Rihla provides an important account of many areas of the world in the 14th century.