Abu 'Abdallah Ibn Battuta

Well before the great age of European exploration and expansion (see McKay, Chapter 16), Muslim travelers visited most of the known world.  The great network of trade routes (land and sea), as well as the far-flung Islamic civilization worked to the advantage of these travelers by providing them with relatively easy transportation and a set of familiar cultural norms spread through otherwise alien cultures.  One of the most famous of these travelers was Ibn Battuta, whose journeys encompassed Muslim Spain in the west, China in the east, Central Asia in the north, the Swahili Coast of Africa to the south, and numerous points in between.  Use the links below to learn more about Ibn Battuta and his world.

1. Ibn Battuta lived his early life in the Mahgrib, the region of western North Africa that included modern Algeria and Morocco.  Read the following historical overview of Western North Africa, 1000–1400 A.D.  What were the key events during Ibn Battuta's lifetime? Who ruled the Mahgrib during those years?
2. Among the achievements of Islamic civilization was a rich and diverse artistic tradition.  To learn more about this tradition, read this overview of Islamic art.  The age of the Abbasid dynasty of Caliphs is generally regarded as the golden age of Islamic culture.  Read about the varieties of Abbasid art, the techniques and objects that made this art so memorable.  Finally, read about Islamic approaches to figural representation.  What are the defining features of Islamic art in general and Abbasid art in particular? What challenges did Islamic artists face when they chose to represent figures of living things? Now take a look at these artworks from the Mahgrib produced around Ibn Battuta's lifetime: leaf from a Qur'an, panel, and four calligraphic tiles.  What continuities do you see between these works and the earlier Abbasid pieces you examined?
3. Ibn Battuta visited many countries and observed many cultures, both Muslim and non-Muslim.  One of the most vibrant cultures he encountered was that of Muslim Spain, known as Al Andalus.  Take a look at this map of modern Spain.  Locate Andalusia (the modern region that includes some of old Al Andalus) and the cities of Granada and Cordoba.  As you know, Ibn Battuta visited Granada.  Read more about the history of Granada, giving special attention to its "Moorish Epoch."  Now take a virtual tour of the Alhambra, the grand palace built by the rulers of Granada.  Finally, take a look at one of the crowning achievements of Islamic architecture in general and Spanish Muslim art in particular: the Great Mosque of Cordoba.
4. Ibn Battuta was not the only great Muslim traveler.  During the tenth century, Ibn Fadlan, an official in the Caliph's court at Baghdad, traveled into what is now Russia.  During this journey Ibn Fadlan encountered a party of Rus traders.  Also known as Vikings, the Rus were Norse people from Sweden who began exploring the interior of Russia in the late ninth century.  Read Ibn Fadlan's account of the Rus.  What Rus customs does Ibn Fadlan describe, and what is his attitude toward those customs?