DEMO The Travels of Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta begins his journey from Tangier to Mecca alone, leaving behind his family and home. He joins a group of envoys and travels with them until one of them falls ill and dies. He continues his journey with merchants, facing challenges such as fever and loneliness. He finally arrives in Tunis, where he experiences a warm welcome from fellow pilgrims. He then joins a caravan to the Hijaz and visits several towns along the way, including Susa, Qabis, Athropolis, and Alexandria, which he describes as a beautiful and unique city. He mentions other ports he has seen that are equally impressive. Audio-ilm presents The Travels of Ibn Battuta, dramatized audiobook, edited by Tim McIntosh Smith, performed by David Williamson. 1. Northwest Africa and Egypt The Shaykh Abu Abdullah Ibn Battuta related as follows. My departure from Tangier, my birthplace, took place on Thursday the second of the month of God, Rajab the Unique, in the year 725, with the object of making the pilgrimage to the Holy House at Mecca, and of visiting the tomb of the Prophet, God's richest blessing and peace be upon him, at Al-Medina. I set out alone, having neither fellow-traveler in whose companionship I might find cheer, nor caravan whose party I might join, but swayed by an overmastering impulse within me and a desire long cherished in my bosom to visit these illustrious sanctuaries. So I braced my resolution to quit all my dear ones, female and male, and forsook my home as birds forsake their nests. My parents, being yet in the bonds of life, it weighed sorely upon me to part from them, and both they and I were afflicted with sorrow at this separation. My age at that time was twenty-two lunar years. I came to the city of Tillimsan, Slemsan, the sultan of which at that time was Abu Tashefin, and my arrival chanced to coincide with the visit of two envoys of the King of Africa. These envoys left the town, and one of the brethren advised me to travel in their company. I consulted the will of Almighty God in regard to this, and after a stay of three nights to procure what I needed, I left, riding after them with all speed, and on reaching the town of Milyana overtook them there. This was in the time of the summer heats, and both of the doctors of the law fell sick, on account of which we stopped for a space of ten nights. We then set out again, but the illness of one of the envoys, a qadi, had taken a serious turn, so we stopped for three nights by a stream at a distance of four miles from Milyana. A qadi breathed his last in the forenoon of the fourth day, and his companions returned to Milyana and buried him there. I left them at this point and pursued my journey with a company of merchants from Tunis. When we reached Bijaya, Bougie, I was attacked by fever, and one of my fellow travelers advised me to stay there until I was fully recovered, but I refused, saying, If God decrees my death, then my death shall be on the road, with my face set towards the land of the Hejaz. Well then, he replied, if you are resolved, sell your ass and your heavy baggage, and I shall lend you ass and tent. In this way you may travel with us light, for we must move with all speed for fear of molestation by roving Arabs on the road. I did as he suggested, and he lent me what he had promised. May God reward him with good. This was the first of the divine mercies which were manifested to me in the course of that journey to the Hejaz. Continuing our journey, we reached the town of Kusantlina, Constantine, and halted outside it. We were caught with heavy rain, which forced us to leave our tents during the night for the shelter of some buildings there. Next morning the governor of the town came to meet us, and seeing my clothes, for they were all soiled by the rain, he gave orders that they should be washed at his home. The mantle which was amongst them was in rags, so he sent me in its place a mantle of fine Baalbek cloth, in one of whose corners he had tied two gold dinars. This was the first alms which was bestowed upon me on my journey. We set out again and came next to the town of Bona, Bona. We lodged inside the city, and after we had stopped in it for some days, we left there the merchants who had been in our company, on account of the dangers of the road, and traveled light with the utmost speed, pushing on night and day without stopping. I was again attacked by the fever, and I actually tied myself on the saddle with a turban cloth, in case I should fall off by reason of my weakness. It was impossible for me to dismount, on account of the danger, so at least we reached the town of Tunis, and the townsfolk came out to welcome the travelers. On all sides they came forward with greetings and questions to one another, but not a soul said a word of greeting to me, since there was none of them that I knew. I felt so sad at heart on account of my loneliness, that I could not restrain the tears that had started to my eyes, and wept bitterly. But one of the pilgrims, realizing the cause of my distress, came up to me with a greeting and friendly welcome, and continued to comfort me with friendly talk until I entered the city, where I lodged in the college of the booksellers. While still in Tunis, I was overtaken by the feast of the fast-breaking, and I joined the company at the Musalla. The inhabitants had already assembled in large numbers to celebrate their festival, and had come out in brave show and in their richest apparel. The sultan arrived on horseback, accompanied by all his relatives and courtiers and guards of his kingdom, walking on foot in a magnificent procession. The prayers were recited, the allocution was discharged, and the people returned to their homes. Some time later the caravan of pilgrims for the noble Hijaz was organized, and they put me forward as qadi of their company. We left Tunis in the last days of the month of Dhul-Qa'dah, beginning of November, 1325, following the coast road, and came to the township of Susa, which is small but pretty, and built on the seashore, forty miles distant from Tunis. We came next to the town of Qabis, Gabis, and put up inside it. We stopped there over ten nights, on account of incessant rain. We then left Qabis, making for Athropolis, Tripoli, and were escorted for some stages of our journey thither by about a hundred or so horsemen. There was also in the caravan a troop of archers, with the result that the roving Arabs, in fear of them, avoided their vicinity, and God preserved us from them. We celebrated the feast of sacrifice on one of the stages of this journey, and on the fourth day following, came to the city of Athropolis, where we stayed for some time. I had made a contract of marriage at Sophocles with the daughter of one of the syndics at Tunis, and she was conducted to me at Athropolis. Later, however, I became involved in a dispute with my father-in-law, which made it necessary for me to separate from his daughter. I then married the daughter of a talib of Fez, and when she was conducted to me at Qasr al-Za'afiyah, I gave a wedding feast, at which I detained the caravan for a whole day and entertained them all. On the first of first Jumadah, 5th April 1326, we arrived at the city of Eleskanderia, Alexandria. May God protect her! She is a well-guarded frontier citadel and a friendly and hospitable region, remarkable in appearance and solid of construction, furnished with all that one could wish for in the way of embellishment and embattlement, and of memorable edifices both secular and religious. Noble are her dwellings, graceful her qualities, and to imposing size her buildings unite architectural perfection. She is a unique pearl of glowing opalescence, and a secluded maiden arrayed in her bridal adornments, glorious in her surpassing beauty, united in itself the excellences that are shared out by other cities between themselves, through her mediating situation between the East and the West. Every fresh marvel has there its unveiling, every novelty finds its way thither. Among all the ports in the world I have seen none equal to it, except the ports of Kaulam, Kualon, and Qaliqat, Calicut, in India, the port of the Infidels, Genoese, at Sudak, in the lands of the Turks, and the port of Zeytun in China, all of which will be mentioned later.