Ibn Battuta's Journey

Joey Lane, Christina Reynolds, Trevor Hendrix, Justin Thornton,

CJ Cannon 

Who was Ibn Battuta and what did he accomplish?

 Ibn Battuta was a young Muslim scholar from Morocco who had set out to explore the Islamic World. Before beginning his voyage to the trading cities of the Red Sea and East Africa, he completed a hajj to Mecca in obedience of the five pillars of Islam. On his way, he toured the entire Middle East And Southeast Asia. Over the course of 29 years, Battuta had logged 75,000 miles of travel by various sources of transportation, such as camel caravans and boats.

Ibn Battuta's Travels

India and the Delhi Sultanate

Battuta's overall outlook on India and the Delhi Sultanate was good. He commented appreciatively on the water systems in Delhi and praised the Sultan's piety and generosity, but he criticized the King's cruelty.

Mali in Ibn Battuta's eyes

There mixed views on Mali according to Ibn Battuta. He admired the people on how well their government was set up. However, he didn't take too kindly to the un-Muslim like behavior that went on in Mali. He was disappointed at the way the women dressed. He thought that they should veil their faces and wear full body clothing.

What un-Muslim like behavior in Mali offended Ibn Battuta?Ibn Battuta was appualed that the women did not properly clothe themselves and that they did not veil their faces. He was also astonished by the cruelty of the of the king and the unnecessary murders.

Chinese Junks

Battuta described junks as being boats as big as palaces that had 12 sails made of bamboo and big enough to carry a crew of 1,000 men. Of those men, 400 were soldiers. Their captains were anxious to leave before the sky broke open.

Swahili Coast

He described the Swahili Coast as one of the most well-constructed towns in the world. He was impressed by its beauty. He noticed that the people who lived there were jet black in color.

How did Ibn Battuta describe Aden?Ibn Battuta enjoyed his time in Aden. He said that it was a very wealthy city that was rich and abundant with people.

How did he describe women in Mali and Morocco?

He said that he was appalled at the freedom and how they were just bare chested and next to men with no shame in public.