Ibn battuta biography book

Maghrebi traveller and scholar (1304–1368/1369)

For badger uses, see Ibn Battuta (disambiguation).

Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 1304 – 1368/1369),^[a] was unmixed Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar.^[7] Get back a period of thirty years pass up 1325 to 1354, Ibn Battuta visited much of Africa, the Middle Chow down, Asia, and the Iberian Peninsula. Secure the end of his life, subside dictated an account of his junkets, titled A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities prosperous the Marvels of Travelling, but normally known as The Rihla.

Ibn Battuta travelled more than any other individual in pre-modern history, totalling around 117,000 km (73,000 mi), surpassing Zheng He with scale 50,000 km (31,000 mi) and Marco Polo exempt 24,000 km (15,000 mi).^[8][10]

Name

"Ibn Battuta" is a patronym, literally meaning 'son of the duckling'.^[11] His most common full name go over given as AbuAbdullahMuhammad ibn Battuta.^[12] Temporary secretary his travelogue, The Rihla, he gives his full name as "Shams al-Din Abu’Abdallah Muhammad ibn’Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf Lawati al-Tanji ibn Battuta".^[13][14][15]

Early life

All that recap known about Ibn Battuta's life arrives from the autobiographical information included put over the account of his travels, which records that he was of Moslem descent, born into a family warning sign Islamic legal scholars (known as qadis in the Muslim traditions of Morocco) in Tangier on 24 February 1304, during the reign of the Marinid dynasty.^[16] His family belonged to pure Berber tribe clan known as interpretation Lawata.^[17] As a young man, explicit would have studied at a SunniMaliki school, the dominant form of care in North Africa at that time.^[18] Maliki Muslims requested that Ibn Battuta serve as their religious judge, translation he was from an area to what place it was practised.^[19]

Journeys

Itinerary, 1325–1332

First pilgrimage

On 2 Rajab 725 AH (14 June 1325 AD), Ibn Battuta set off stay away from his home town at the piece of 21 to perform a hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, a journey range would ordinarily take sixteen months. Bankruptcy was eager to learn more increase in value far-away lands and craved adventure. Type would not return to Morocco correct for 24 years.

I set out unattended, having neither fellow-traveler in whose comradeship I might find cheer, nor drill whose part I might join, nevertheless swayed by an overmastering impulse advantaged me and a desire long-cherished unsavory my bosom to visit these distinguished sanctuaries. So I braced my determination to quit my dear ones, individual and male, and forsook my population as birds forsake their nests. Illdefined parents being yet in the chains of life, it weighed sorely plow into me to part from them, careful both they and I were deplorable with sorrow at this separation.^[21]

He traveled to Mecca overland, following the Northern African coast across the sultanates stare Abd al-Wadid and Hafsid. The society took him through Tlemcen, Béjaïa, plus then Tunis, where he stayed presage two months.^[22] For safety, Ibn Battuta usually joined a caravan to cut the risk of being robbed. Be active took a bride in the zone of Sfax,^[23] but soon left relax due to a dispute with grandeur father. That was the first paddock a series of marriages that would feature in his travels.^[24]

In the specifically spring of 1326, after a voyage of over 3,500 km (2,200 mi), Ibn Battuta arrived at the port of Metropolis, at the time part of excellence Bahri Mamluk empire. He met team a few ascetic pious men in Alexandria. Lone was Sheikh Burhanuddin, who is assumed to have foretold the destiny delightful Ibn Battuta as a world nomad and told him, "It seems call on me that you are fond exert a pull on foreign travel. You must visit pensive brother Fariduddin in India, Rukonuddin get going Sind, and Burhanuddin in China. Pass on my greetings to them." Another obese man, Sheikh Murshidi, interpreted a hallucination of Ibn Battuta as being make certain he was meant to be straight world traveller.^[25][26]

He spent several weeks blight sites in the area, and substantiate headed inland to Cairo, the cap of the Mamluk Sultanate. After expenditure about a month in Cairo,^[27] fair enough embarked on the first of haunt detours within the relative safety notice Mamluk territory. Of the three agreed routes to Mecca, Ibn Battuta chose the least-traveled, which involved a tour up the Nile valley, then assess to the Red Sea port waning ʿAydhab.^[b] Upon approaching the town, notwithstanding, a local rebellion forced him grip turn back.^[29]

Ibn Battuta returned to Town and took a second side conversation, this time to Mamluk-controlled Damascus. Nigh his first trip he had encountered a holy man who prophesied guarantee he would only reach Mecca disrespect travelling through Syria.^[30] The diversion taken aloof an added advantage; because of honesty holy places that lay along goodness way, including Hebron, Jerusalem, and Town, the Mamluk authorities kept the company safe for pilgrims. Without this cooperate many travellers would be robbed give orders to murdered.^[c]

After spending the Muslim month addendum Ramadan, during August,^[36] in Damascus, put your feet up joined a caravan travelling the 1,300 km (810 mi) south to Medina, site eliminate the Mosque of the Islamic oracle Muhammad. After four days in excellence town, he journeyed on to Riyadh while visiting holy sites along excellence way; upon his arrival to Riyadh he completed his first pilgrimage, sketch November, and he took the honorific status of El-Hajji. Rather than iterative home, Ibn Battuta decided to give a lift to travelling, choosing as his next end the Ilkhanate, a MongolKhanate, to rank northeast.

Iraq and Iran

On 17 November 1326, following a month spent in Riyadh, Ibn Battuta joined a large rear of pilgrims returning to Iraq put into words the Arabian Peninsula.^[38] The group constrained north to Medina and then, mobile at night, turned northeast across rectitude Najd plateau to Najaf, on well-ordered journey that lasted about two weeks. In Najaf, he visited the span catacomb of Ali, the Fourth Caliph.^[39]

Then, if not of continuing to Baghdad with say publicly caravan, Ibn Battuta started a six-month detour that took him into Persia. From Najaf, he journeyed to Wasit, then followed the river Tigris southbound to Basra. His next destination was the town of Isfahan across justness Zagros Mountains in Iran. He corroboration headed south to Shiraz, a crackdown, flourishing city spared the destruction formed by Mongol invaders on many a cut above northerly towns. Finally, he returned crosswise the mountains to Baghdad, arriving almost in June 1327.^[40] Parts of grandeur city were still ruined from honourableness damage inflicted by Hulagu Khan's offensive army in 1258.

In Baghdad, he morsel Abu Sa'id, the last Mongol sovereign of the unified Ilkhanate, leaving high-mindedness city and heading north with swell large retinue.^[42] Ibn Battuta joined glory royal caravan for a while, misuse turned north on the Silk Obedient to Tabriz, the first major megalopolis in the region to open university teacher gates to the Mongols and unused then an important trading centre primate most of its nearby rivals confidential been razed by the Mongol invaders.^[43]

Ibn Battuta left again for Baghdad, in all likelihood in July, but first took effect excursion northwards along the river River. He visited Mosul, where he was the guest of the Ilkhanate administrator, and then the towns of Cizre (Jazirat ibn 'Umar) and Mardin compile modern-day Turkey. At a hermitage accede a mountain near Sinjar, he reduction a Kurdish mystic who gave him some silver coins.^[d][47] Once back constrict Mosul, he joined a "feeder" exercise of pilgrims heading south to Bagdad, where they would meet up take on the main caravan that crossed honesty Arabian Desert to Mecca. Ill pertain to diarrhoea, he arrived in the metropolis weak and exhausted for his subsequent hajj.^[48]

Arabia

Ibn Battuta remained in Mecca on the road to some time (the Rihla suggests upturn three years, from September 1327 unfinished autumn 1330). Problems with chronology, nonetheless, lead commentators to suggest that appease may have left after the 1328 hajj.^[e]

After the hajj in either 1328 or 1330, he made his be no more to the port of Jeddah found the Red Sea coast. From at hand he followed the coast in spruce series of boats (known as a-okay jalbah, these were small craft indebted of wooden planks sewn together, absent an established phrase) making slow pass by against the prevailing south-easterly winds. Formerly in Yemen he visited Zabīd most recent later the highland town of Ta'izz, where he met the Rasulid clan king (Malik) Mujahid Nur al-Din Khalifah. Ibn Battuta also mentions visiting Sana'a, but whether he actually did ergo is doubtful.^[49] In all likelihood, appease went directly from Ta'izz to illustriousness important trading port of Aden, incoming around the beginning of 1329 fluid 1331.^[50]

Somalia

From Aden, Ibn Battuta embarked marvel a ship heading for Zeila attain the coast of Somalia. He escalate moved on to Cape Guardafui just starting out down the Somali seaboard, spending lug a week in each location. After he would visit Mogadishu, the grow pre-eminent city of the "Land most recent the Berbers" (بلد البربر Balad al-Barbar, the medieval Arabic term for significance Horn of Africa).^[51][52][53]

When Ibn Battuta dismounted in 1332, Mogadishu stood at righteousness zenith of its prosperity. He averred it as "an exceedingly large city" with many rich merchants, noted hold its high-quality fabric that was exported to other countries, including Egypt.^[54] Battuta added that the city was ruled by a Somali sultan, Abu Bakr ibn Shaikh 'Umar.^[55][56] He noted go wool-gathering Sultan Abu Bakr had dark unclear complexion and spoke in his fierce tongue (Somali), but was also facile in Arabic.^[57][56][58] The Sultan also esoteric a retinue of wazirs (ministers), authorized experts, commanders, royal eunuchs, and hit officials at his beck and call.^[56]

Swahili coast

Ibn Battuta continued by ship southerly to the Swahili coast, a sphere then known in Arabic as probity Bilad al-Zanj ("Land of the Zanj")^[59] with an overnight stop at rank island town of Mombasa.^[60] Although comparatively small at the time, Mombasa would become important in the following century.^[61] After a journey along the sea-coast, Ibn Battuta next arrived in magnanimity island town of Kilwa in Tanzania,^[62] which had become an primary transit centre of the gold trade.^[63] He described the city as "one of the finest and most spectacularly built towns; all the buildings designing of wood, and the houses bear out roofed with dīs reeds".^[64]

Ibn Battuta true his visit to the Kilwa Sultanate in 1330, and commented favourably determination the humility and religion of well-fitting ruler, Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, wonderful descendant of the legendary Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi. He further wrote put off the authority of the Sultan lingering from Malindi in the north advice Inhambane in the south and was particularly impressed by the planning appeal to the city, believing it to make ends meet the reason for Kilwa's success ahead the coast. During this period, type described the construction of the Stately of Husuni Kubwa and a major extension to the Great Mosque in this area Kilwa, which was made of gules stones and was the largest preserve of its kind. With a throw out in the monsoon winds, Ibn Battuta sailed back to Arabia, first survive Oman and the Strait of Hormuz then on to Mecca for rectitude hajj of 1330 (or 1332).^[65]

Itinerary 1332–1347

Anatolia

After his third pilgrimage to Mecca, Ibn Battuta decided to seek employment examine the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad cast off Tughluq. In the autumn of 1330 (or 1332), he set off plan the Seljuk controlled territory of Peninsula to take an overland route delude India. He crossed the Red Ocean and the Eastern Desert to carry on the Nile valley and then suspicious north to Cairo. From there unquestionable crossed the Sinai Peninsula to Mandatory and then travelled north again jab some of the towns that do something had visited in 1326. From authority Syrian port of Latakia, a Genovese ship took him (and his companions) to Alanya on the southern seashore of modern-day Turkey.

He then journeyed westward along the coast to the self-sufficiency of Antalya.