Ibn Battuta ((Abū Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abd Allāh Al-Lawātī, 1304–c. 1368 CE) was a traveler, jurist, and scholar from Tangier whose journeys across Afro-Eurasia remain among the most extensive recorded in the medieval world. Beginning in 1325 with a pilgrimage to Mecca, his travels eventually spanned North and West Africa, Egypt, Syria, East Africa, Persia, Central Asia, India, Southeast Asia, and China, covering an estimated 120,000 kilometers (75,000 miles) over nearly three decades. His experiences reflected the high degree of connectivity that linked much of the Islamic world during the post-Mongol era, where shared religious institutions, trade routes, and scholarly networks facilitated movement across vast distances within the broader framework of Dar al-Islam (“the Abode of Islam”).
After returning to the Marinid Sultanate in the 1350s, Ibn Battuta dictated his experiences to the scholar Ibn Juzayy, producing the Rihla (“The Journey”), one of the most important travel accounts of the medieval period. The work documents political systems, urban life, trade, religious practice, and cultural diversity across regions ranging from the Mali Empire and the Delhi Sultanate to Yuan China. Although parts of the narrative likely contain embellishment or second-hand material, the Rihla remains an invaluable primary source for understanding the interconnected commercial, intellectual, and political worlds of the 14th century.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2026, May 08). Map of Ibn Battuta’s Travels, 1325-1354: Medieval Travel, Scholarship & Connectivity in Afro-Eurasia. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18929/map-of-ibn-battutas-travels-1325-1354/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of Ibn Battuta’s Travels, 1325-1354: Medieval Travel, Scholarship & Connectivity in Afro-Eurasia." World History Encyclopedia, May 08, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18929/map-of-ibn-battutas-travels-1325-1354/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of Ibn Battuta’s Travels, 1325-1354: Medieval Travel, Scholarship & Connectivity in Afro-Eurasia." World History Encyclopedia, 08 May 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18929/map-of-ibn-battutas-travels-1325-1354/.
