Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Ibn Battuta was a North African Arab born in Tangier, Morocco in 1304. His family was a traditional Muslim family of judges. As a youth, he learned Muslim law. In 1325, at the age of 21, he left his hometown of Tangier to perform his Hajj. Through his travels he also hoped to learn more the practice of law across the Arab world.
In the course of his first journey, Ibn Battuta traveled through Algiers, Tunis, Egypt, Palestine and Syria to Mecca. The following is a passage from his own records:
"My departure from Tangier, my birthplace, took place ... with the object of making the Pilgrimage to the Holy House (in Mecca) and of visiting the tomb of the Prophet (in Medina), God's richest blessing and peace be on him. I set out all by myself, having neither a fellow-traveler in whose companionship I might find cheer, nor a caravan whose party I might join, but swayed by an overmastering impulse within me and a desire long-cherished in my bosom to visit these illustrious sanctuaries. So I braced my resolution to quit all my dear ones, female and male, and forsook my home as birds forsake their nests. My parents being yet in the bonds of life, it weighed sorely upon me to part from them, and both they and I were afflicted with sorrow at this separation."
In those years, traveling such great distances and venturing into foreign territories was risky. Ibn Battuta was daring, or at least determined, enough to start his journey alone on a donkey. Along the way, perhaps for safety, he became a member of a caravan of traders, which grew as more and more people joined in. By the time they made it to Cairo, the caravan had several thousand members and was still growing. Ibn Battuta must have been very excited about the progress of his trip. It was a first-hand experience at learning about his primary fascination - the larger world of Islam, or Dar al-Islam. Thus he was able to meet with learned fellow Muslims and to gain increased experience in religion and law.
Upon reaching Algiers, the caravan spent some time outside the city walls where more pilgrims joined the group. As the caravan reached Bijaya, Battuta’s health deteriorated. He was determined to continue however, and decided not to stay behind in spite his poor health. In reference to this incident he said: "If God decrees my death, then my death shall be on the road, with my face set towards ...[Mecca]."
When the caravan traveled through Libya, Ibn Battuta found it appropriate to marry the daughter of a Tunisian trader who was traveling with the caravan for the Hajj. Ibn Battuta married the girl in Tripoli, but soon the marriage was broken because of a quarrel between Ibn Battuta and his new father-in-law. This didn’t seem to bother Ibn Battuta, for he soon approached another girl, a daughter of a pilgrim from Fez. This time, the wedding was a lavish celebration, which lasted a whole day.
About Ibn Battuta