Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn ِAbdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta
(Arabic:
أبو عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله اللواتي
الطنجي ابن بطوطة) born February 24, 1304; year of death uncertain,
possibly 1368 or 1377) was a Moroccan Berber[1] scholar and jurisprudent from
the Malawi Madhhab (a school of Fiqh, or Sunni Islamic law), and at times a
Qadi or judge. However, he is best known as a traveler and explorer, whose
account documents his travels and excursions over a period of almost thirty
years, covering some 73,000 miles (117,000 km). These journeys covered almost
the entirety of the known Islamic world and beyond, extending from North
Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the West, to the
Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in
the East, a distance readily surpassing that of his predecessors and his
near-contemporary Marco Polo.
 |
| Name |
Ibn Battuta
|
| Birth |
February 24, 1304 |
| Death |
1368 or 1377 |
| School/tradition |
Sunni Maliki |
At the instigation of the Sultan of Morocco, Abu Inan Faris, several years
after his return, Ibn Battuta dictated an account of his journeys to a scholar
named Ibn Juzayy, whom he had met while in Granada. This account, recorded by
Ibn Juzayy and interspersed with the latter's own comments, is the primary
source of information for his adventures. The title of this initial
manuscriptتحفة النظار في غرائب الأمصار وعجائب الأسفار may be
translated as A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the
Marvels of Travelling but is often simply referred to as the Rihla
الرحلة, or "Journey". Whilst apparently fictional in places, the Rihla
still gives as complete an account as exists of some parts of the world in the
14th century.
Almost all that is known about Ibn Battuta's life comes from one source—Ibn
Battuta himself. In some places, the things he claims he saw or did are
probably fanciful, but in many others, there is no way to know whether he is
reporting or storytelling. However, due to the complexity and thoroughness of
his accounts, we are left to assume that his chronicles were in fact true.
An impact crater on the moon, the Ibn Battuta crater, is named after him. A
themed shopping mall in Dubai, the Ibn Battuta Mall, also bears his name, with
some of his earlier research and inventions in displays scattered throughout
its corridors.
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
