Ibn Battuta free essay sample

His travels lasted for about thirty years, after which he returned to his homeland, Morocco. Ibn Juzay was his scribe recording all of his Rihla- His voyage. In the year 1369 C. E Ibn-Battuta died. Ibn Battuta was the only medieval traveller who is known to have visited the lands of every Muslim ruler of his time. Also it is known that Ibn-Battuta travelled for approximately 75,000 miles. In this Secondary source Biography you will find out more about Ibn-Battuta himself and his travels. Ibn-Battuta Ibn Battuta was born in a rich family of scholars in Tangier, Morocco. His original plan was to be a judge. After his studying, Ibn Battuta decided to make his first pilgrimage to Makkah for Hajj. Makkah was about 3000 miles away and the journey would take more then a year. So, Ibn Battuta set off in 1325 CE. He was amazed of what he saw, inspired by this, Ibn Battuta then decided to spend his life traveling. However, he made two rules for himself: 1. Only to visit the Muslim world. 2. Never to travel any road a second time. So he began by first exploring the lands of the Middle East. Then he sailed down the Red Sea to Makkah. He crossed the huge Arabian Desert and traveled to Iraq and Iran. In 1330 CE, he set of again, down the Red Sea to Aden and then along the coast of East Africa to Tanzania. Then in 1332 CE, Ibn Battuta decided to go to India. He was welcomed by the Sultan of Delhi- AKA ‘The shadow of God’, and was given the job of a judge from him. He stayed in India for approximately 8 years; then left for China. He survived wars, shipwrecks, and rebellions. Finally, he returned home at Tangier in 1349 CE. Ibn Battuta left for another adventure. In 1352 CE, he went south, crossed the Sahara desert, and visited the African kingdom of Mali. He got back to Morocco in 1354 CE. He had traveled for about 30 years and more then 75,000 miles had been explored, he also managed to meet sixty different Islamic rulers. His First Trip On Hajj In June 1325, when he was twenty one years old, Ibn Battuta set off from his hometown to perform his first Hajj, this journey took 16 months, and it meant he would not see Morocco again for 24 years. He journeyed to Makkah by foot across land, and followed the North African coast. His route passed through the city of Tlemcen and all the way through to Tunis, where he stayed for two months. Ibn Battuta knew he would of got attacked if he didn’t join a caravan, so he chose to join a caravan so he wouldn’t be attacked. After he had completed his Hajj, he continued his exploration through out the lands. A group of pilgrims going on Hajj. People on Hajj, circling the Ka’aba as part of their ritual. His travels Over the 30 years of Ibn Battuta’s travellinf, he managed to travel to: West, North and East Africa, to Arabia, Russia, India and China. This was over 112,000 kilometres that Ibn Battuta had travelled successfully, in just as little as 30 years of his life. In April 1326 Ibn Battuta reached Cairo in Egypt. Cairo was the capital city of the Mamluks-Soldiers brought from Turkey to serve as slaves in the Egyption army. In 1250 they took control and ruled Egypt until 1811. Cairo had claimed to be the heart of the muslim world in the fo urteenth century. This was because it had over 500,000 inhabitants. airo was filled with beatuiful stone Palaces and mosques set amidst sprawling alleys. As Ibn Battuta pressed his way through the people, donkeys and camels on its densely crowded streets; he saw markets bustling with butchers, goldsmiths, leatherworkers, candle makers and countless other trader selling their products. Maps The red lines show Ibn Battuta’s route around the Muslim World. The green line shows Ibn Battuta’s footsteps. His Return Home After returning home from his travels in 1354 and at the encouragement of the Sultan of Morocco- Abu Inan Faris. Ibn Battuta dictated an account of his journeys to Ibn Juzayy, a scholar who he had met previously in Granada. The account, recorded by Ibn Juzayy, is the only primary source of information on his adventure. Ibn Battuta returned to Morocco through the route of his first Hajj, on the way he was told that his father had died. Ibn Battuta was very sad after this tradgedy. Thinking situations couldn’t get any worse, a few months later, he discovered the death of his mother also.