Islamic civilization was the third major tradition to evolve after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries. From the seventh through fifteenth centuries, it was arguably the most dynamic and expansive culture in the world. Indeed, some scholars have described it as the world's first truly global civilization. Islamic society borrowed much from the Greek, Roman, Persian, and Indian traditions and spread them as it extended its reach. In these Internet activities, you will explore the life of Abu 'Abdallah Ibn Battuta, a Muslim traveler in the fourteenth century, to better understand the impact of Islamic civilization on the world.

Helpful Hints:

• You may want to begin by printing this page. As you explore different sites, use the printout to refer back to the instructions and questions detailed in each activity.
  
  
• On many web sites you can increase the size of the images by clicking on them. Whenever possible, use the larger images to examine fine details in photographs.
  
  

Activity One:

• Read "Individuals in Society: Abu 'Abdallah Ibn Battuta (1304–1368) on page 268 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). Then go to IBN BUTTUTA. Write a paragraph explaining who Ibn Battuta was, where he lived, and what he did for a living. Pay close attention to his role as a scholar (ulema) and judge (qadi).
  
  

Activity Two:

• Go to Map 1 and Map 2. The first map shows the areas where Ibn Battuta traveled. The second shows where Islam was the major, or a major, religion in the year 1300. What do these two maps have in common? (Hint: Did Ibn Battuta travel outside areas were Islam was not a predominate religion, or did he stay within the Islamic world?)
  
  
• Using these maps and others found in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition), locate the following cities: Cairo, Jerusalem, Mecca, Mombasa, Delhi, Timbuktu, Granada, Tangiers, Bukhara, Samarkand, Constantinople. Locate the following regions: West Africa, East African coast, Indian subcontinent, the Arabian peninsula, Egypt, China, Central Asian plains. Finally, locate the following bodies of water: Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Black Sea, South China Sea. Now print out Map 1 and label these locations.
  
  

Activity Three:

Take a virtual tour of Ibn Battuta's travels. Be sure to read the textual information and look at the images. Identify what was going on in each area when Battuta visited. Remember to keep in mind which structures existed when he was alive and which came later. Also contemplate which structures were relatively new during his lifetime and which might have already been considered old.

• Begin with Cairo. Go to Cairo Area — Sights To See. This site contains images of various mosques, churches, and monuments in modern–day Cairo. Click on the links to various images.You do not have to view every site; simply try to get a feel for what Cairo might have looked like to Battuta.
  
  
• For Jerusalem, go to The Jerusalem Mosaic, which contains images and information about Jerusalem when it was ruled by the Mamluks. You can read more about the Mamluks on page 255 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition), in the section "Decentralization of the Islamic State."
  
  
• For the Haj and Battuta's trip to Mecca and Medina, see The Haj. The most pertinent links at this site are the photo galleries located at the bottom of the page. You can also read about the rituals of the Haj to help you understand why Ibn Battuta traveled to Mecca and Medina and what he experienced while he was there.
  
  
• For the east coast of Africa, go to The People of Zanzibar. Read the section "African, Arabs, and the Perians" to learn about the impact of Islam there. Also check out Boats and Ships of Zanzibar to examine how Ibn Battuta traveled to East Africa.
  
  
• For Central Asia, read The Islamic World to 1600: Central Asia. For some images of the cities that flourished in Central Asia see Cyber Uzbekistan. Pay special attention to the "CU Gallery" link found on the left–hand side.
  
  
• For Constantinople, see Constantinople: The Queen of Cities. Click on the images in the first and second sections, "Sites" and "Hagia Sophia: 6th Century."
  
  
• For Delhi, see Discover India: The Muslim Invasions. Pay particular attention to the section on the Delhi sultanate. This is the government that Ibn Battuta served. For more details on Muslim rulers in India during this time, see History of India: The Turkish Invasions. Click on "Slave" in the top left corner and read that section as well.
  
  
• For China, see Islam in China. Explore the status of Muslim communities in China when Ibn Battuta visited there.
  
  
• For Granada, go to Alhambra and Generalife. Click on the camera icon throughout the essay to visit this great example of Muslim architecture.
  
  
• For West Africa, see The Islamic Legacy of Timbuktu, The Advent of Islam in West Africa, and Djenne: World Heritage City. These sites explain how Islam spread into West Africa and the political and social arrangements that existed there when Ibn Battuta visited. There are several references to Battuta at these sites.
  
  
• Read some of Ibn Battuta's own accounts of his travels at Medieval Sourcebook: Ibn Batuta (1307–1377 CE): Travels. These excerpts describe his views on the Turks in Anatolia and Central Asia. You might want to review The Islamic World to 1600: Central Asia to place his observations in a proper context. The Turkish kingdoms in Anatolia, the Middle East, and India were new when Battuta wrote about them.
  
  

Activity Four:

• After reviewing the links in Activity Three, list several factors that led to the spread of Islam in the centuries preceding Ibn Battuta's life. Which do you think was most important?
  
  

Activity Five:

• Review Map 9.2 on page 266 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). How did trade routes facilitate Ibn Battuta's travels and the expansion of Islam?
  
  
• Go to Map of the Trade Routes. Compare and contrast this map with the one in McKay. Note that twelve hundred years separate them. Do these maps help put Ibn Battuta's travels and the spread of Islam in a larger historical context? Did any other religions spread over these trade routes before Islam? Were there other famous travelers along these routes before Ibn Battuta? Review Chapter 7, "Asian Empires and the Spread of Buddhism, CA 200 B.C.–A.D. 800." Write a paragraph explaining your answer to these questions.
  
  

Activity Six:

• Go to Travels of Hsuan–Tsang — Buddhist Pilgrim of the Seventh Century. What similarities are there between Hsuan–Tsang and Ibn Battuta? For example, where did they travel? What was their purpose in these travels? How did they increase their respective societies' knowledge of the world? Summarize your answer in a few paragraphs.
  
  

Activity Seven:

• How do the travels of Ibn Battuta help explain the Islamic concept of the umma? (See page 247 in McKay, A History of World Societies [Fifth Edition].) How did this concept and other traditions and institutions in the Islamic world facilitate his travels and adventures? Write a paragraph explaining your answer.