Islamic Golden Age Scientists #2: Ibn Battuta

 2. Ibn Battuta  

Name: Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Battuta  

Born: 25 February 1304, Tangier, Morocco  

Died: 1369 (aged 64–65), Morocco  

Occupation: Explorer, Islamic scholar, jurist, judge, and geographer  

Era: Medieval Era  

Religion: Islam  

Introduction to Ibn Battuta: Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battuta, also known as Shams al-Din, was born on 24 February 1304 CE (703 AH) in Tangier, Morocco. He left Tangier on Thursday, 14 June 1325 CE (2 Rajab 725 AH), when he was twenty-one years old. The journey lasted about thirty years, after which he returned to Fez, to the court of the Moroccan Sultan Abu Inan, and dictated the account of his travels to Ibn Juzayy. These are known as the famous _Travels_ (_Rihla_) of Ibn Battuta. He died in 1369 CE in Fez. 

The total extent of his travels is estimated to be less than 75,000 miles, a figure unlikely to have been surpassed before the age of steam. Before the term existed, Ibn Battuta lived as a true “Renaissance man.” A trained _qadi_, or judge, Ibn Battuta was also skilled in geography, botany, and Islamic theology, and had a sociologist’s keen power of observation. But the main reason Ibn Battuta survives today is his writing. Ibn Battuta established the science that would eventually become the art of travel writing. During his travels, he recorded abundant observations, notes, insights, and lessons. This great composition was preserved by a young scribe who, at the request of the Moroccan Sultan, spent many months transcribing Ibn Battuta’s story, eventually compiling _Al-Rihla_ or “The Travels.”

Ibn Battuta – The Forgotten Traveler: Ibn Battuta’s sea voyages and references to navigation show that Muslims completely dominated maritime activities in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Chinese waters. It is also observed that although Christian merchants were subject to some restrictions, most economic negotiations were conducted on the basis of equality and mutual respect.