The Greatest Traveler
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta, better known as Ibn Battuta, was born in Tangier, Morocco in 1304. He is a Muslim Berber Moroccan scholar, writer, geographer, at times a Qadi or judge and best known as an explorer and traveller. Ibn Battuta is considered as the World’s Greatest Traveler in History. He was twenty years of age when he left his home town in Morocco in 1325, to go on a Hajj, or a pilgrimage to Mecca to fulfill the Fifth Pillar of Islam. He finally returned home from travelling in 1354.
According to some scholars, during his twenty-nine years of traveling, he was able to widely traverse a distance of approximately 73,000 miles (117,000 km). He is reported to have visited over forty countries which in today’s modern Map, the majority are in what is called the World of Islam, or “Dar al-Islam”. Most of these countries are in the Middle East, parts of Africa, Europe and even to the Far East. These are some of the countries that Ibn Battuta reportedly had visited, namely: Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Oman, Iraq, Iran, Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Spain, Russia…
It is said that after his return home in 1354, the Sultan of Morocco commissioned a writer by the name of Ibn Juzayy to record Ibn Battutas’s recollections of his journeys.
Ibn Battuta was commanded to “dictate an account of the cities which he had seen in his travel, and of the interesting events which had clung to his memory, and that he should speak of those whom he had met of the rulers of countries, of their distinguished men of learning, and of their pious saints.” [From the introduction to The Rihla, transcribed by Ibn Juzayy, 1354.]
It then resulted into a book that was then translated into English and is now commonly known as The Travels of Ibn Battuta.
Like Ibn Battuta’s predecessor, Marco Polo, a famous merchant traveler from Venice, Italy, also ended up having a book documenting his odyssey with the help of Rusticello, who wrote down his accounts when they were both imprisoned. (Rustichello da Pisa is best known for co-writing Marco Polo’s autobiography, The Travels of Marco Polo.) The Travels of Marco Polo was published with many editions since then. His book has inspired many people, including Christopher Columbus.
IBN Battuta said that ‘Traveling – it leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller.’ Indeed, I could proudly say that after traveling to more than thirty countries, like these two travel icons: Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, I too have become a storyteller which resulted in the publication of my own book entitled Inspired to Travel; Travel to Inspire – A Travel Memoir.
My book is a product of most of the things I considered significant from what I could possibly recall from my travels; written in a plain, simple way. Through my book, I wish to share the things I personally encountered, as well as the weird and wonderful things I experienced.
So my advice is if it’s travelling that you want to do, start planning now and take action. Even if you have to do it alone, especially to you ladies, like me, never be afraid to travel solo (but at the same time be very aware of your personal safety). Leave your comfort zone; explore this beautiful planet that we have. After all, as the Chinese proverb says ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’.
Start your own odyssey. We will be waiting for your return with all ears to hear your accounts.
For more details about my travels, get a copy of my book Inspired to Travel; Travel to Inspire – A Travel Memoir which is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble websites.
There are many sources available online and in print relating to Ibn Battuta’s travels where I got my details from for this blog. You may visit some of below links:
https://orias.berkeley.edu/resources-teachers/travels-ibn-battuta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Battuta
https://www.famousscientists.org/ibn-battuta/
https://study.com/academy/lesson/ibn-battuta-travels-facts.html
