Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta and His book Rihla

Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan traveler. He was born in Tangier.

Ibn Battuta believed that the experience gained through travels to be a more important source of knowledge than books.

Before he come to India, he had made pilgrimage trips to Mecca, and had already travelled extensively in Syria, Iraq, Persia, Yemen, Oman and a few trading ports on the coast of East Africa.

Ibn Battuta reached Sind in 1333. He had heard about Muhammad binTughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi.

The Sultan was impressed by his scholarship, and appointed him the Qazi or judge of Delhi. He remained in that position for several years, until he fell out of favour and was thrown into prison. Once the misunderstanding between him and the Sultan was cleared, he was restored to imperial service, and was ordered in 1342 to proceed to China as the Sultan’s envoy to the Mongol ruler.

With the new assignment, Ibn Battuta proceeded to the Malabar Coast through central India. From Malabar he went to the Maldives. He took a ship to Sumatra, and from there another ship for the Chinese port town of Zaytun (now known as Guangzhou). He travelled extensively in China, going as far as Beijing and returned home in 1347.

Ibn Battuta’s book of travels, called Rihla, written in Arabic. His account is often compared with that of Marco Polo, who visited China (and also India) from his home base in Venice in the late thirteenth century.

Why was travelling more insecure in the medieval period according to Ibn Battuta?

Ibn Battuta was attacked by bands of robbers several times. In fact, he preferred travelling in a caravan along with companions, but this did not deter highway robbers.

While travelling from Multan to Delhi, his caravan was attacked and many of his fellow travelers lost their lives; those travelers, who survived, including Ibn Battuta, were severely wounded.

He suffered from home sick and in many places; he was not welcomed by the people.

Ibn Battuta and the Excitement of the Unfamiliar

The coconut –

Coconut trees looked like date palms. It resembles a man’s head. Inside of it looks like a brain. Its fiber looks like human hair. Its fiber used for making rope which is used for pulling ships.

The paan-

Betel plant looked like grape plant. It is grown for the sake its leaves. People chew betel leaves with areca nut and lime.

Indian cities – Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta found cities in the subcontinent full of exciting opportunities, resources and skills. They were densely populated and prosperous, except for the occasional disruptions caused by wars and invasions.

Most cities had crowded streets and bright and colorful markets that were stacked with a wide variety of goods. Ibn Battuta described Delhi and Daulatabad as vast cities, with a great population, the largest in India.

The bazaars were not only places of economic transactions, but also the hub of social and cultural activities. Most bazaars had a mosque and a temple, and in some of them at least, spaces were marked for public performances by dancers, musicians and singers.

Ibn Battuta explains that towns derived a significant portion of their income through the appropriation of surplus from villages because of the good fertility of the soil; farmers cultivate two crops a year.

He also noted that the subcontinent was well integrated with inter-Asian networks of trade and commerce, with Indian manufactures being in great demand in both West Asia and Southeast Asia, fetching huge profits for artisans and merchants. Indian textiles, particularly cotton cloth, fine muslins, silks, brocade and satin, were in great demand.

A unique system of communication

Almost all trade routes were well supplied with inns and guest houses. Ibn Battuta was also amazed by the efficiency of the postal system(by horse and human runners) which allowed merchants to not only send information and remit credit across long distances, but also to dispatch goods required at short notice.

Slaves – Ibn Battuta

Slaves were openly sold in markets, like any other commodity, and were regularly exchanged as gifts. When Ibn Battuta reached Sind, he purchased “horses, camels and slaves” as gifts for Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

There was considerable differentiation among slaves. Some female slaves in the service of the Sultan were experts in music and dance, and Ibn Battuta enjoyed their performance at the wedding of the Sultan’s sister.

Female slaves were also employed by the Sultan to keep a watch on his nobles. They were generally used for domestic labour.

Ibn Battuta found that Male slaves were used for carrying rich women and men on palanquins or Dola.

The price of slaves, particularly female slaves required for domestic labour, was very low, and most families who could afford to do so kept at least one or two of them.