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He visited numerous regions in more than 40 countries across the three continents of the Old World, covering more than 120,000 kilometers in his travels. He is Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Yusuf al-Lawati al-Tanji, famously known as Ibn Battuta, one of the greatest Muslim explorers in history.
His journeys extended from Morocco to China, Malaysia, and the Philippines, a distance unmatched by any traveler before him. This led a prestigious university like Cambridge to bestow upon him the title “Prince of Arab Muslim Travelers.”
Birth and Early Life:
Ibn Battuta was born in 703 AH (1304 CE) in Tangier, northern Morocco, to a family from the Lawata Berber tribe, whose roots trace back to the Cyrenaica region of Libya.
According to some sources, the name “Ibn Battuta” is derived from his mother’s name, Fatouma. It was customary at the time for children to be named after their mothers, and this name was affectionately shortened to Battuta instead of Fatouma.
His family was renowned for its legal scholarship and practiced law during the Marinid dynasty.
Ibn Battuta was raised with a love of learning and reading, as he came from a scholarly family. He received an Islamic upbringing and likely studied at a traditional Islamic school (kuttab), learning the Quran and Islamic jurisprudence, following the common practice in North Africa at the time.
Upon reaching the age of 21, he resolved to go to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage, a journey initially planned for 16 months but which extended into nearly 30 years of exploration.
He visited many countries in the eastern hemisphere and almost the entire Islamic world, acquiring a wealth of knowledge that enabled him to experience adventures and adventures unmatched by any traveler before him.
Ibn Battuta recounted that he undertook this journey alone, without his parents. In his book, “A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travel,” commonly known as “The Travels of Ibn Battuta,” he wrote: “From Tangier, my birthplace, on Thursday, the 2nd of Rajab, 725 AH/1324 CE, intending to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to the Sacred House of God and to visit the grave of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, I set out alone, without a companion to keep me company or a mount to join me in.
A strong, determined impulse and a deep longing for those holy sites resided within me. I resolved to leave my loved ones, both male and female, and departed my homeland like a bird leaving its nest. My parents were still alive, and I endured the pain of separation from them, experiencing the same hardship they endured.”
Ibn Battuta’s Travels
Some researchers say that his pilgrimage was not solely for the purpose of performing the Hajj, but also aimed at learning, meeting scholars, and engaging with them, particularly in Islamic sciences, in addition to visiting all the regions reached by Islam.
During his journey, he faced difficulties and challenges, some of which nearly cost him his life, including being kidnapped by pirates and suffering a severe illness.
His physical immunity was weak, making him unable to resist disease, but this did not deter him from continuing his quest to achieve his goal.
In 1325 CE, Ibn Battuta’s journey began from the Moroccan city of Tangier towards Mecca. He passed through Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya until he reached Alexandria, which he described in his book.
He describes it as “a well-guarded port and a pleasant city, wondrous in its grandeur and authentic in its architecture. It possesses every imaginable improvement and fortification, and boasts worldly and religious landmarks. Its buildings combine grandeur and solidity, and it is radiant in its beauty, encompassing all virtues due to its central location between East and West.”
After Alexandria, Ibn Battuta traveled to Cairo, which at that time comprised four cities: Fustat, founded by Amr ibn al-As; al-Askar, founded by Salih ibn Ali al-Abbasi; al-Qata’i, established by Ahmad ibn Tulun; and Cairo itself, founded by Jawhar al-Siqilli, the commander of al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah al-Fatimi.
He continued his journey across Egypt until he reached the Red Sea, then proceeded to Palestine, where he visited Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and described the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He said of Al-Aqsa: “It is one of the most wondrous, elegant, and exquisitely beautiful mosques. It is said that there is no mosque on earth larger than it.”
Then, describing the Dome of the Rock, he said: “It is one of the most wondrous, exquisitely crafted, and uniquely shaped buildings. It possesses every beauty and incorporates a touch of every kind of splendor. It stands on a raised platform in the center of the mosque, accessed by marble steps. It has four doors, and the surrounding area is also paved with marble, expertly crafted. Likewise, its interior, exterior, and interior are adorned with various types of decoration and exquisite workmanship, defying description. Much of it is overlaid with gold, so it sparkles with light and shines like lightning. The eye of the beholder is dazzled by its beauty, and the tongue of the one who sees it is incapable of describing it.”
He also visited the city of Acre, which had been devastated by the Crusades, which had not long since ended.
Ibn Battuta then left Palestine for Damascus, where he spent several months studying, before departing the entire Levant for the Hijaz, specifically Mecca, to perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
After the Hajj season ended, Ibn Battuta did not consider returning to his native Morocco. Instead, he continued his journey towards Iraq, accompanying the Iraqi Hajj caravan to the city of Najaf. He then visited southern Iraq and the city of Wasit, whose people he admired.
Next, he entered the city of Basra, which he described as “one of the mother cities of Iraq, renowned far and wide, spacious, elegantly decorated, with numerous orchards and abundant fruits. Its abundance and fertility stem from its location at the confluence of two seas: The salty and the fresh. Nowhere in the world are there more date palms.”
After Basra, he entered Baghdad, which the Mongols had destroyed a century before his arrival. He observed its buildings and the remnants of its ruins.
He then visited Persia and the city of Tabriz, before returning to Mosul in Iraq. He then decided to return to Mecca to perform the Hajj for the second time.
He stayed in Mecca for a while until he recovered from an illness. Afterward, he traveled to Jeddah and then visited Sana’a in Yemen.
In 1328 CE, Ibn Battuta embarked on a sea voyage from Aden to Mogadishu in Somalia, and then to Kilwa, a city in Tanzania on the Horn of Africa coast.
From Kilwa, he sailed back towards Dhofar, then to Oman, then to Hormuz, before returning to Persia and finally making his way to Mecca in 1330.
After that, Ibn Battuta visited the Levant again, then headed north until he entered Asia Minor, reaching Sinope on the Black Sea coast, and then crossing the sea to Crimea.
He then visited southern Russia, and from there traveled to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. From there, he returned to Persia and continued his journey eastward until he entered India on September 8, 1333.
He spent approximately 10 years there, visiting many regions and serving as a judge for Muhammad Tughluq, the ruler of India, or the Tughluq dynasty.
He then wanted to leave India, but its ruler was unwilling to let him go. He claimed he wanted to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, but Muhammad Tughluq refused.
In 1345 CE, Muhammad Tughluq suggested he be sent as his ambassador to China. Ibn Battuta readily accepted, seeing it as a suitable opportunity to leave India and explore new regions and places.
Thus, Ibn Battuta traveled to China as Muhammad Tughluq’s ambassador and was also appointed a judge there. On his journey, he passed along the coast of Burma (Myanmar) towards the island of Sumatra, and then on to Guangzhou, where he finally arrived in China.
Hindu pirates had attacked his ships and those of his companions while they were sailing along the Indian coast, kidnapping him. He managed to escape, but then found himself caught in a storm that sank many of his ships and killed many of his men, as he recounts in his book.
Before all this, he decided to visit the Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, south of India and Sri Lanka, after hearing about them.
He landed there 10 days after departing from the southern coast of India. The inhabitants welcomed him warmly, hosting him and appointing him their judge, thus elevating him to a position of great respect.
A year after his arrival in China, Ibn Battuta returned to Mecca, where he stayed for a while before returning to his native Morocco in 1349 CE.
He reached the capital, Fez, and then entered Tangier. There, he discovered that his mother had passed away months before his arrival, while his father had died several years prior.
A year after his first journey, Ibn Battuta embarked on a second, shorter trip, traveling to Granada in Andalusia via the Strait of Gibraltar.
In 1353 CE, he undertook a third journey, lasting two years, traveling across the Sahara Desert to the Mali Empire in western Sudan.
He reached the Niger River, then Timbuktu in Mali, before returning to his homeland in 1355 CE at the request of the Marinid Sultan Abu Inan ibn Abi al-Hasan, to document his experiences during those travels.
Ibn Battuta as a Judge and Poet
During his long journey of three decades, Ibn Battuta’s mission was not limited to travel and exploration. He also worked intermittently in several of the countries he visited.
He served as a judge in India and the Maldives, and as an ambassador to China. He settled in the Maldives for a time, married there, and served as their judge, gaining considerable respect due to his status as a Muslim scholar who had achieved great renown in India.
After arriving in Morocco, he also served as a judge, a position he held until his death.
Furthermore, during his travels, Ibn Battuta praised the sultans, kings, and prominent figures in the countries he visited, drawing upon his poetic talent.
In return, he received financial gifts and some presents, which he used to finance his travels, in addition to those who hosted him for a few days and those who provided him with jobs to earn a living.
Ibn Battuta’s Journey
The book “The Journey of Ibn Battuta” is one of the most famous travel books, in which he recorded what he witnessed and discovered during his travels (Al Jazeera).
The Book of the Journey
About a year after Ibn Battuta’s return from his third journey, specifically in 1356 CE, the ruler of Morocco at the time, the Marinid Sultan Abu Inan ibn Abi al-Hasan, asked his scribe, Muhammad ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi al-Gharnati, to record Ibn Battuta’s experiences and observations in a book.
Ibn Juzayy worked with Ibn Battuta for two years to write down what he had lived through over 30 years, compiling it into the book “The Journey.”
It was narrated that Ibn Juzayy said: “I have conveyed the words of Sheikh Abu Abdullah (Ibn Battuta) in terms that fully convey his intended meanings, clarifying the approaches he adopted. I have sometimes quoted him verbatim, without altering his original meaning or details. I have included all the stories and accounts he related, without attempting to verify their authenticity or test them, although he followed the most reliable methods in establishing the chains of transmission for his authentic narrations.”
The book “The Journey” has been translated into several living world languages, including Portuguese, French, English, and German. It recounts the events Ibn Battuta experienced during his travels, the people he met and interacted with, and the rulers of the regions he visited and those he worked with.
The book describes the things that caught his attention, the various types of clothing and foods and their preparation methods, as well as the cities and regions he entered, and the political and economic conditions of those places.
After completing this book, Ibn Battuta retired to a judicial position, where he spent the rest of his life.
His Death
Historical sources differ on the date of death of the traveler Ibn Battuta. Some sources suggest he died near Tangier in northern Morocco in 770 AH (1368 CE).
Others place his death between 777 AH (1375 CE) and 779 AH (1377 CE). No one mentions the cause of his death.
A tomb attributed to him exists in Tangier, despite the lack of any sources stating that he died there.
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