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Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354
Here begins Ibn Battuta’s travels
I left Tangier, my birthplace, on Thursday, 2nd Rajab 725 [June 14, 1325], being at that time twenty-two years of age [22 lunar years; 21 and 4 months by solar reckoning], with the intention of making the Pilgrimage to the Holy House [at Mecca] and the Tomb of the Prophet [at Medina].

I set out alone, finding no companion to cheer the way with friendly intercourse, and no party of travellers with whom to associate myself. Swayed by an overmastering impulse within me, and a long-cherished desire to visit those glorious sanctuaries, I resolved to quit all my friends and tear myself away from my home. As my parents were still alive, it weighed grievously upon me to part from them, and both they and I were afflicted with sorrow.

Ibn Battuta – On reaching the city of Tilimsan [Tlemsen], whose sultan at that time was Abu Tashifin, I found there two ambassadors of the Sultan of Tunis, who left the city on the same day that I arrived. One of the brethren having advised me to accompany them, I consulted the will of God in this matter, and after a stay of three days in the city to procure all that I needed, I rode after them with all speed. I overtook them at the town of Miliana, where we stayed ten days, as both ambassadors fell sick on account of the summer heats. When we set out again, one of them grew worse, and died after we had stopped for three nights by a stream four miles from Miliana. I left their party there and pursued my journey, with a company of merchants from Tunis.
Ibn Battuta travels overland from Algiers to Tunis.
On reaching al-Jaza’ir [Algiers] we halted outside the town for a few days, until the former party rejoined us, when we went on together through the Mitija [the fertile plain behind Algiers] to the mountain of Oaks [Jurjura] and so reached Bijaya [Bougiel.

Ibn Battuta part 35

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Ibn Battuta arrives in KoniaIt is a large town with fine buildings, and has many streams and fruit-gardens. The streets are exceedingly broad, and the bazaars admirably planned, with each craft in a bazaar...

Ibn Battuta part 34

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Before diving the diver puts on his face a sort of tortoiseshell mask and a tortoiseshell clip on his nose, then he ties a rope round his waist and dives. They differ in their...

Ibn Battuta part 33

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Water is a valuable commodity in this island. They have wells and artificial reservoirs to collect rainwater at some distance from the town. The inhabitants go there with waterskins, which they fill and carry...

Ibn Battuta part 32

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The many uses of the coconutOne of its peculiarities is that oil, milk and honey are extracted from it. The honey is made in this fashion. They cut a stalk on which the fruit...

Ibn Battuta part 31

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The people of Dhofar and their customsIts population consists of merchants who live entirely on trade. When a vessel arrives they take the master, captain and writer in procession to the sultan’s palace and...

Ibn Battuta part 30

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Kulwa on the African mainlandWe stayed one night in this island , and then pursued our journey to Kulwa, which is a large town on the coast. The majority of its inhabitants are Zanj,...

Ibn Battuta part 29

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The town of Mogadishu in SomaliaOn leaving Zayla we sailed for fifteen days and came to Maqdasha , which is an enormous town. Its inhabitants are merchants and have many camels, of which they...

Ibn Battuta part 28

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After staying some days as his guest I set out for the town of San’a’, which was the former capital, a populous town built of brick and plaster, with a temperate climate and good...

Ibn Battuta part 27

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The people of this town hold the famous subut an-nakhl in this wise. They go out to the palmgroves every Saturday during the season of the colouring and ripening of the dates. Not...

Ibn Battuta part 26

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These terrors continued until we emerged at a roadstead called Ra’s Dawa’ir between Aydhab and Sawakin. We landed here and found on the shore a reed hut shaped like a mosque, inside which were...

Ibn Battuta part 44

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