Ibn Battuta

14th century Muslim Maghrebi scholar and explorer

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Lived 1304–1368, aged 64

Historical Figures

Wikipedia
146 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1304–1368
Aged 64

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

He walked 117,000 kilometers across three continents over thirty years — more ground than any explorer before the modern age, double Zheng He's range and nearly five times Marco Polo's.

Biography

About

Ibn Battuta left Tangier in 1325 and didn't stop. For three decades he moved through Africa, Asia, and the Iberian Peninsula, covering distances that wouldn't be matched until ships and rails remade travel. He was a scholar and a Muslim making hajj, but the road became the point. By 1354 he'd seen more of the medieval world than anyone on record. Near the end of his life he dictated the Rihla — A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling — an account that survives as both itinerary and artifact. He died in 1368 or 1369, having walked farther than the age…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta

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The mosque of 'Amr is highly venerated and widely celebrated. The Friday service is held in it and the road runs through it from east to west.

Ibn Battuta

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There are a large number of religious establishments ["convents "] which they call khanqahs, and the nobles vie with one another in building them.

Ibn Battuta

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One day I rode in company with ‘Alã-ul-mulk and arrived at a plain called Tarna at a distance of seven miles from the city.

— Lahari Bandar (Sindh) . The Rehalã of Ibn Battûta translated into English by Mahdi Hussain, Baroda, 1967, p. 10.

Ibn Battuta

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Near the eastern gate of the mosque lie two very big idols of copper connected together by stones. Every one who comes in and goes out of the mosque treads over them.

— At Delhi, near the eastern gateway of the famous Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The Rehalã of Ibn Battûta translated into English by Mahdi

Ibn Battuta

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