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Ibn Bä¿¿¿a (1304 - 1369) was the best-known Arab traveler in world history. Over a period of thirty years, he visited most of the Islamic world and many non-Muslim lands. Following his travels, he dictated a report he called "A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling," known simply in Arabic as the Ri¿la. This dramatic document provides a firsthand account of the nascent globalization brought by the spread of Islam and the relationship between the Western world and India and China in the 14th century. As an Islamic legal scholar, Ibn Bä¿¿¿a served at high levels of government within the vibrant Muslim network of India and China. In the Ri¿la, he shares insights into the complex power dynamics of the time and provides commentary on the religious miracles he encountered. The result is an entertaining narrative with a wealth of anecdotes, often humorous or shocking, and in many cases touchingly human.
Summary
Records the journey of Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan jurist who travelled to the East, and offers fascinating details into the cultures and dynamics of the region, along with a first-hand account of increased globalisation due to the rise of Islam, and the relationship between the Western world, India, and China in the 14th century.
