Product Description

Abu Abdalla Ibn Battuta (1304-1354) was one of the greatest travelers of pre-modern times. He traveled to Black Africa twice. He reported about the wealthy, multi-cultural trading centers at the African East coast, such as Mombasa and Kilwa, and the warm hospitality he experienced in Mogadishu. He also visited the court of Mansa Musa and neighboring states during its period of prosperity from mining and the Trans-Saharan trade. He wrote disapprovingly of sexual integration in families and of hostility towards the white man. Ibn Battuta's description is a unique document of the high culture, pride, and independence of Black African states in the fourteenth century. This book is one of the most important documents about Black Africa written by a non-European medieval historian.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1074060 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-31
• Original language: Arabic
• Binding: Paperback
• 196 pages

Customer Reviews

Valuable first hand account of medieval west africa
Outside the accounts of Arab visitors, very few (if any) first hand accounts exist of pre-colonial Africa. Ibn Battuta's account is one of them. Even though his African travels occupied only a small part of Ibn Battuta's career (spanning over 3 decades of world travelling), they help to lift the curtain on what medieval Africa looked like. Descriptions of every day life in East Africa as well as scenes from the fourteenth century empire of Mali are invaluable- giving an account of African society slightly different from the stereotypes.

This book would also be useful to those interested in expansion of the islamic sphere of influence into Africa. One of the key attractions of Mali for Ibn Battuta was its adoption of islamic culture.

Other books that would make complimentary reading to this one are Medieval West Africa (N. Levtzion and J. Spaulding) and A History of Islam in West Africa (J. Trimingham).

I enjoyed the read!

this book shows exactly how wide spread the muslum religion
I have recently read Ibn Battuta in Black Africa. This book gives us a great deal of the history of muslums. It consentrates on his traveling experieces. It shows just how large the islamic religion actually is and was. Ibn Battuta travled nearly 30 years. He shares with us not only his joys and oppertunitys of wisdom, but also his prejudices. It gives you an inside look at how particular things were viewed and judged.