The Travels of Ibn Battuta
Britannica calls Ibn Battuta “the greatest medieval Muslim traveler” and it’s not difficult to understand why. His travels took him all over, covering more than 75,000 miles and culminating in a travel memoir suitably named Rihlah (travels), which chronicles his odyssey from start to finish.
In collaboration with the University of Chicago Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and with support from the the US Department of Education, we’ve developed free-to-use lesson plans and curricular material for high-school teachers in the US who want to supplement their program with material on Arab histories and cultures. Here, you’ll get a little taste of what the lesson plan covers with a brief overview of Ibn Battuta’s life and travels.
Who was Ibn Battuta?
Ibn Battuta was born in Tangiers, Morocco in the early 14th century, to a family of qadis (judges). He was educated in jurisprudence and literature before embarking to Mecca for hajj at the age of 21. Along the way, he planned to enrich and broaden his education by furthering his studies in Egypt, Syria and the Hejaz.
After completing his pilgrimage, Batutta decided to keep traveling and so he did for 29 years, starting in Baghdad and venturing into Sub-Saharan Africa, India and Far East Asia, covering a distance of 75,000 miles.
On his journey, Batutta was able to earn a living serving as a judge and scholar wherever he found himself. He also began to gain a reputation simply as a traveler and was welcomed by people wherever he went. When he returned to Morocco, he recorded his experience in collaboration with Ibn Juzayy, a young literary scholar. The result was Al-Rihla.
“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.”
- The Travels of Ibn Battuta
afikra Lesson Plans
High-school teachers looking to include content about the Arab world in their lessons can use afikra’s classroom resources. The Travels of Ibn Batutta lesson plan delves into this enigmatic wanderer and his legendary journey.
The lesson plan includes informational slides that are ready for classroom use, thought-provoking readings, stimulating discussion questions, and student activities – all designed to help students develop an inquisitive and enduring understanding of Ibn Batutta’s life, travels and legacy.
