Ibn battuta from which country

Ibn Battuta reached the Mali capital in the spring of He was pleased that the Muslims of Mali strictly observed traditional Islamic practices and had a "zeal for learning the Koran by heart. He wrote that "their women show no bashfulness before men, and do not veil themselves. Mansa Sulayman largely ignored him and gave him only small gifts, which greatly displeased the famous world traveler.

Ibn Battuta did, however, get to witness an audience before Mansa Sulayman in the palace courtyard. The mansa did not speak directly to the people, but only through a spokesman. Ibn Battuta reported, with some disgust, "If anyone addresses the king and receives a reply from him, he uncovers his back and throws dust over his head and back. I used to wonder how it was [that the people the king spoke to] did not blind themselves.

Ibn Battuta also observed a state ceremony that began with Muslim prayers. But afterward came several dancers, dressed as birds, chanting before the mansa. Ibn Battuta viewed this as an insult to Islam. He did not recognize that the mansa needed to satisfy the common people, most of whom still held on to the old religious beliefs.

Despite his disappointments, Ibn Battuta was impressed that the Mali people "have a greater hatred of injustice than any other people. This city of about 10, people was never a military stronghold or seat of a king. Instead, its fame rested on its reputation as a city of scholars.

Timbuktu was founded around as a market town bordering the Sahara. Almost from the beginning, it seems to have been a Muslim town. It was self-governing until Mansa Musa annexed it without bloodshed to the Mali Empire in Even after that, the city continued running its own affairs with little control from the Mali kings.

Black African farmers and river people as well as white Arab and Berber merchants populated the city, making it an ethnically mixed settlement. It became known as a place open to newcomers and a city of refuge.

When Ibn Battuta came to Timbuktu in , it was becoming the major center of Islamic learning in black Africa. Because it had a large Muslim population and was also on the pilgrimage route to Mecca, the city drew many Muslim scholars. The sons of wealthy Timbuktu merchant families studied under them to become Islamic scholars, too. They studied Islamic religion, law, literature, science, and medicine. Islamic books became expensive import items. Elementary schools, sometimes supported by rich merchants, taught boys to read and memorize the Koran.

Most Muslim males, both black and white, learned to read. Muslim countries at this time normally excluded females from formal schooling. Timbuktu reached the height of its influence in the s as part of the Muslim Songhai Empire, which replaced Mali. Many colleges, elementary schools, and libraries flourished in Timbuktu, whose population had grown to about 50, All of this became possible because of the leadership and financial contributions of wealthy black and white Muslim merchant families.

Although the Mali and Songhai kings appointed a governor for Timbuktu, the qadi , or judge, was the real leader of the community. The most important scholars of the city selected the qadi from a few long-established families.

The qadi had to be a scholar of the law and above suspicion of ever accepting bribes. The qadi heard lawsuits argued by legal scholars, who acted as lawyers for each side of the case. He relied on the testimony of witnesses and other types of evidence presented in his court. He made judgments and ordered punishments, which included beating and imprisonment. He enforced his own decisions, calling on the help of his personal followers or the people of the city.

He directed a police force made up of lower-ranking scholars. He also represented the Muslim community when the king came to call. Occasionally, qadis interpreted the law and established precedents. For example, a Timbuktu qadi made an important ruling on slaves captured in war. If they claimed that they were Muslims, they had to be given the benefit of doubt and freed. Islamic law prohibited Muslims enslaving other Muslims. After visiting with the qadi , scholars, and merchants of Timbuktu, Ibn Battuta joined a caravan going north to Morocco.

He arrived home early in This ended his travels to foreign lands. Altogether, he covered about 75, miles in 29 years, meeting with 60 rulers in Asia and Africa. He probably had several wives. Islamic law permitted a man up to four wives at once. Like Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta dictated a report of his travels. He then served as the qadi of a Moroccan town and disappeared from history. The scribe who wrote down Ibn Battuta's account of his travels added these words: "It is plain to any man of intelligence that this [learned man] is the traveler of the age.

Ibn Battuta—the great traveller By A. From Medieval Sourcebook. Ibn Battuta and his Saharan Travels More selections. Ibn Battuta's Travels in Mali Still more selections. In the late medieval period, Ibn Battuta traveled through many countries and saw many different cultures. In this activity, students will use their textbooks and other resources to describe the elements of different cultures in the late Middle Ages. Alumni Volunteers The Boardroom Alumni. Curriculum Materials. Add Event. Main Menu Home.

The exact dates of when he was in certain places are unclear. Remember Me. Log in. Born in Tangier, Morocco. Left home and went across North Africa. Arrived in Cairo, Egypt.

Traveled through Syria and Palestine. Went on a hajj to Medina and Mecca. Reached Delhi, India, and served as a judge. That title is a bit of a mouthful so the text is generally just called Ibn Battuta's Rihla, or Journey.

Ibn Battuta in Egypt; painting by Hippolyte Leon. It was one of several large online resource units Nick constructed during the early days of curriculum on the internet. Most units were lost during technical changes over the years at San Francisco Unified School District, where the original pages were hosted. Since that time, online resources for teaching world history through traveler's narratives have increased dramatically, but Nick's pages are still some of the most valuable for classrooms.

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies provided funding to help in this process. Special thanks go to Ross Dunn who worked with Nick on the initial project and whose wonderful book, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta , provided much of the content. The first map below shows the Muslim World or Dar al-Islam about The second map shows the route of Ibn Battuta's journeys. Ibn Battuta mainly traveled to places with Muslim governments in the areas inside the black border marking the Dar al-Islam.

Beyond that, Muslim traders had already ventured out into China, Indonesia and further, and had established small Muslim communities in many regions of the world. Ibn Battuta would seldom be far from fellow Muslims on his travels, and he would greatly benefit from the charity and hospitality offered to Muslim travelers and pilgrims. Skip to main content. The Travels of Ibn Battuta. Welcome to this tour of Ibn Battuta's medieval travels!

The Setting. The Journey. Across North Africa to Cairo.