Product Description

He did not return to Morocco for another twenty-nine years, travelling instead through more than forty countries on the modern map, covering seventy-five thousand miles and getting as far north as the Volga, as far east as China and as far south as Tanzania. He wrote of his travels, and comes across as a superb ethnographer, biographer, anecdotal historian and occasional botanist and gastronome.

With this edition by Mackintosh-Smith, Battuta's Travels takes its place alongside other indestructible masterpieces of the travel-writing genre.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15981 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

About the Author

Tim Mackintosh-Smith has lived in San'a -- the Yemeni capital -- for the last twenty years. His acclaimed Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah won him a Thomas Cook/ Daily Telegraph Travel Book Award.

Customer Reviews

Epic travel
In contrast to the numerous modern travel books which seem to focus on the 'personality' of the writer or trivial observations, this is an epic in every sense of the word. The scale of the journey is immense in distance and time, IB stayed to work as a Qadi (judge)in several places along the way, this means that you really get a deep sense of the politics and the people in each destination. This depth is unlike some of the more superficial accounts of present books which rely on novelty and humour. Although travels is not without humour itself.
I like travelling and read travel books frequently, so it's no suprise that I enjoyed the descriptions of distant lands and strange customs, however, the biggest suprise for me was the journey into the Islamic culture and lifestyle. I think it's the first account I have read from an Islamic perspective, and a Medieval one at that. With this in mind I think this is a perfect book to open the mind about other cultures and other ways of seeing the world. To get the most from this journey it is important to read 'Travels with a Tangerine' and 'Hall of a Thousand Columns' By Mackintosh-Smith.
I hope this reworked classic inspires other translators and archivists to unearth other works from centuries gone. On a final note I am deeply envious of anyone who understands Arabic as they can read the original.

Not your everyday travel guide
Ibn Battuta was a medieval Islamic traveller from modern day Morocco, which at the time was a great centre of culture and learning. He was a Qadi (judge) and minor scholar who travelled, lived and worked in large swathes of the ancient world ranging from China, India, Ceylon, Sub Saharan Africa, and the Middle East! A feat one wonders if ever has been repeated.

The book is an autobiography written in the first person that details and describes his extensive travels in the form of a dictated journal.

The book gives an incite to the Islamic culture, customs and habits, as well as his perceptions and prejudices (from his prospective as a Medieval Muslim). It delves into some of his interactions and private thoughts he had with other cultures, ranging from Christendom, to China, and all the different Muslim regions such as the Mughals, or even the Muslim Sultans of Ceylon.

I found that it opened up my eyes to the world, and to metaphorically see, and walk through other peoples shoes, whom although long gone come to life as the book touches on the political, as well as the social and cultural habits of the time.

Well worth the read, if you have any interest in travel, history or other cultures. An interesting contrast to Marco Polo.

A Very Stimulating Storytelling
The story told is based on his own true experience and worth reading. He is so honest when relaying his experiences and really open my eyes to other cultures and life that ever exist in the world. I envy his brave and courage to travel and learn about lots of things from it. Once reading his book, you can't put it down. You can even laugh and cry with him. He is so brave to with the cannibals and his story about his experience in his pilgrimage (Hajj) in Mecca, was so great that I can't find an exact word to describe it... he make us who has been there too, miss the place and want to go there again.