WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT "Ibn Battuta"?

You are going to read about the life of Ibn Battuta. 

What did you know about him?

Ibn Battuta was one of the great travellers of the past. He left his home in North Africa when he was 21 years old. His initial reason was to go on Haj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, as all Muslims want to do. But after he left Mecca, he didn't go home. He continued to travel on land and sea for nearly 30 years.

Ibn Battuta was born on the 24th February 1304 in Tangiers, Morocco. From 1325 to 1355, he visited every Muslim country in the world world, and more besides. He went to what are now India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Russia and even went as far as China. Late he travelled across the Sahara and as far south as the River Niger, and also sailed down the East Coast of Africa. He visited Mecca to make the Haj seven times! In total, he travelled 120,000 kilometres.

He met many dangers and had numerous adventures along the way. He sailed in small boats and big ships, rode horses and camels and walked hundreds of kilometres. He was kidnapped, attacked by pirates, almost drowned in a shipwreck, nearly had his head cut off by one ruler, married a few women and fathered several children along the way.

Near the end of his life, he returned to Fez in Morocco where the sultan insisted that Ibn Battuta tell his story. He dictated his adventures to a scholar so that today we can still read about them in his book, Rihla. He died in Fez in 1369.