Ibn Battuta (born in Tangier, Morocco, 1304? AD, died 1378?) probably traveled overland more than any person in history before the invention of motor vehicles. His "Rihlah" ("Travels") is the monumental achievement in travel writing, made all the more amazing by the fact that he accomplished his travels almost 700 years ago.
Beginning with a trip circa 1325 for the Islamic haj (visit to Mecca), he spent nearly thirty years traveling and working in almost every Islamic civilization in existence (he also traveled in many non-Islamic countries): North Africa, Syria, Mecca, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Persia, Asia Minor, the Swahili coast, Samarkand, India (where he worked for seven years at the court of the Delhi Sultan), then China, the Maldives, the Malabar coast, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Sumatra, then after his return home, he visited Spain, Morocco, Timbuktu and the Niger River area.
After his final return home, the ruler of Tangier, Ibn Juzayy, commanded him to write (by dictation) the account of his travels. He was able to recall from memory events of the previous three decades -- very impressive considering his detailed descriptions of the people, places, customs and traditions he came into contact with.
To this day, Battuta is still considered a generally reliable source for the geography of the 1300's. Historians and geographers have checked out his account of his travels and have found it amazingly accurate. Battuta is truly a window to the past, giving modern readers a look at the social, cultural, and political history of medieval civilization.
"The Travels of Ibn Battuta, A.D. 1325-1354", translated, revised, and notated by H.A.R. Gibb contains:
Vol. I:
Ibn Juzayy's introduction
1. North-West Africa and Egypt
2. Syria
3. From Damascus to Mecca
4. Mecca
5. From Mecca to Kufa
Vol. II:
6. Southern Persia and Iraq
7. Southern Arabia, East Africa and the Persian Gulf
8. Asia Minor and South Russia
Vol. III:
9. Turkestan and Khurasan
10. Sind and north-western India
11. The city of Dihli and its sultans
12. Sultan Muhammad Ibn Tughluq
13. The reign of Sultan Muhammad Ibn Tughluq
14. Ibn Battuta's stay in Dihli
plus bibliographies and notes.
And still, it is not complete. A projected 4th volume was never finished. But it is, by far, the most complete translation of Battuta, and really the only choice one has. Lucky for the reader that H.A.R. Gibb (Profesor at Oxford and Harvard, author of many distinguished books on Arab and Islamic subjects) has done an excellent job: the introductions, notes, and appendixes are excellent. Well worth reading for anyone interested in the any of the areas Battuta covered, or for anyone with an interest in travel or history in general.
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