Ibn Battuta: Life and Works - Essay Example

Module Ibn Battuta Ibn Battuta is a well-known historical explorer whose journeys across Africa, the Middle East and Asia are well-documented. His very detailed descriptions of the terrain through which he journeyed and the places he visited as well as of their rulers and religious customs and rituals point at the fact he actually travelled through these lands. For example, his detailed description of Mecca and Medina and the surroundings, or the routes by which they could be reached, could only have come from his personal experience. His description of Cairo, which was the center of trade with Asia, as “the meeting place of comer and goer.....whose throngs surge as the waves of the sea” (Battuta) seems an accurate description of a thriving port city with a vibrant economy that brought with it peace and prosperity. His writings therefore give us a wealth of information about the conditions in these regions in the fourteenth century. I think his writings are an excellent source of information about the conditions that prevailed in these areas at the time. However, they are all written from the perspective of a devout Muslim, and details of the lives of people of other communities and religions are few. Battuta’s pen portraits of rulers, holy men and intellectuals with whom he interacted give us a sense of the administrative capabilities of the rulers in those parts. They also tell us a great deal about the societies in the Middle East and their living conditions with respect to sanitation as well as amenities such as roads, bazaars, parks, hospitals and religious places. The khangahs, or religious places, built by the nobility in pursuit of education and the respect given to the intellectuals or darwishes speak volumes for the emphasis laid on education and charity. His description of the famous mosques, especially the Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock, tally with what is evident even today, and hence, it seems that his observations are accurate and not biased. Battuta describes mosques as not only religious places but also as community centers where issues of public interest could be discussed. His description of the Umayyad Mosque, where the numerous doors were flanked by passages that had shops selling goods that were required for activities that were carried out in that particular part of the mosque; like notaries and witnesses in the area where a judge or Qadi had authorized a person to conduct marriages are particularly interesting. The description of the door of the hours vividly portrays how the merchants and other people in the square where the mosque was located used it to tell the time of the day and conduct their activities accordingly. His writings paint a picture of a world of civilized, god-fearing peoples who are peace- loving and generous to those less fortunate than themselves, as in the story of the bake houses where people who go to have their bread baked give away a portion of it to the poor. The honesty of the poor orphan children who carry the food bought by the rich to their houses without being tempted to steal any of it is particularly endearing. The kindness and generosity extended to strangers to their land, which Ibn Battuta himself experienced on his travels through so many of these lands, are an indication of a progressive culture. A native of Africa, Battuta describes most of Africa as being Islamic. Hence, in many ways the cultures of Africa and the Middle East, as he describes it, are not very different. References to people of faiths other than Islam are few. Battuta refers to the treatment meted out to Christians in his account of the Umayyad mosque when the Caliph wanted the part that was a church to extend into a mosque and the Christians refused to part with it, but it was taken by force. He also speaks of the taxes that Christian pilgrims had to pay to Muslims and the humiliations they suffered at the hands of Muslims. It seems from his writings that the sultans of some parts of Africa were constantly engaged in expeditions of warfare with the heathen people of Zanj, which, I suppose, refers to the natives, who are described as “jet black in color with tattoo marks on their faces” (Batuta). There appears to have been a thriving trade between Syria and Egypt, with a system of revenue collection from merchants travelling through it. Passports were issued for travel into these countries to guard against undesirable elements like spies and also for the protection of the subjects of these nations. Since Battuta’s travels took him through many seaports, he describes the people as wealthy trading communities engaged in trade with far-off lands in Asia. Battuta’s experiences with officials in Africa and the Middle East are starkly contrasted in his narration of two episodes. The dishonesty of the officials in Tunis, where he is witness to the agents of the government seizing wealth belonging to some merchants who had asked for it to be conveyed to their relatives, is juxtaposed against the honesty and goodness of the people in the city of Damascus, who have endowments to help people in need, even if they are slaves. The story of the slave who broke a valuable Chinese porcelain dish and was advised to seek help from the custodian of endowments who gave him the money to replace the broken dish is a case in point. However, the people of Damascus seemed to have a good opinion of North Africans to whom they freely entrusted their wives, children, and money. The towns of East Africa are described as dirty and stinking due to the blood of camels that are slaughtered on the streets. Battuta chose to spend the night in a boat in a turbulent sea rather than in the town due to its filth and stench. He also speaks of the port of Dhofar in similar terms, as being dirty and full of flies due to the fish that were also fed to their flocks of animals. He finds similarities among the customs of these people with those of North-West Africa. The conclusion one comes to is that the societies of the Middle East were far more progressive and sophisticated than their African counterparts. Battuta makes few references to women in his narrative. However, he makes a particular reference to the women of Yemen, who are very beautiful and are open to marrying foreigners unlike those in Africa. He also speaks of their willingness to allow their husbands to travel while they take care of children demanding no maintenance. Another mention of women is at Tabriz, where Battuta speaks of slaves of merchants dressed in rich silks and showing off jewels to the wives of the Turks, who vied with one another in buying in large quantities. In Mecca, too, women are depicted as beautiful, pious and modest and addicted to the use of perfumes. The social life of the people is described in some parts of his narrative. Processions were taken out at festivals where the common people took part dressed in their finest clothes. The rulers, courtiers and wise men took out a procession to the praying grounds where prayers were held with the common people. He speaks of picnics enjoyed by all the people of some of the towns, with musicians providing music. Ibn Battuta’s writings, although colored by his own experiences and limited in some respects, are an authentic and colorful picturization of the life of the people of the times in which he lived. Having lived with persons of high standing in society, as well as having travelled in caravans over land and sea, he offers a description that seems to be an accurate source of knowledge of the societies of the fourteenth century. Works Cited Batuta Ib. Medieval Sourcebook Ibn Battuta : Travels in Asia and Africa 1325 - 1354 Read More