1304-1368

Arab Traveler

In spite of the fact that Marco Polo (1254-1324) is much better known outside the Arab world, in fact Ibn Battuta traveled much more widely. Over the space of 29 years from 1325 to 1354, he covered some 75,000 miles, or about 120,000 kilometers—three times the distance around the Earth at the Equator.

His full name was Abu 'abd Allah Muhammad ibn 'abd Allah al-Lawati at-Tanji ibn Battuta; fortunately for non-Arabic speakers, however, he is known to history simply as Ibn Battuta. A member of a wealthy family in the Moroccan city of Tangier, Ibn Battuta planned to study law and become a judge in one of the city's Islamic courts. First, however, he planned to undertake a hajj, a pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia. All Muslims are encouraged to make the hajj at least once if they...