Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta in Egypt

Ibn Battuta was a North African explorer of the 14th century. His full name was Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta. He lived from 1304 to 1377. His nickname is "The Islamic Marco Polo".

Biography

Ibn Battuta was a great traveler. He made many trips to lands like Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Iraq, and India.

He traveled 75,000 miles in twenty-eight years.

He was a good and religious man.

He wrote the stories of his travels throughout his life.

The city of Dubai has an Ibn Battuta Center telling about his travels and about other great men of medieval Islam. It explains their cultural, scientific, philosophical and artistic influence on the world, especially on Europe and the Renaissance.

His travels

He began his travels by pilgrimages to places of Islamic religion and Arabic language . He became rich thanks to his merchant caravans.

• 1325-1327: first pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj) through the Maghreb, exploring the valley of the Nile, of Syria , of Iraq and cities of Iran
• 1328-1330: second pilgrimage to Mecca through the southern shores of the Arabian Peninsula to Kilwa kisiwani and on the African coasts of Swahili culture
• 1330-1346: Third pilgrimage to Mecca, exploration of Turkey, the Black Sea, Central Asia, India, Ceylon, Sumatra, Malaysia and Beijing, China
• 1349-1354: crossing of the Sahara to Mali.