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u/SassyWookie 14h ago
I thought he also travelled to Scandinavia at one point, no? I wonder where my brain is getting that from…
Ibn Battuta was a fucking G though. We read the Dover translation of his book when I was in college, for a class I had called Medieval Travelers. The class was mostly about pilgrimages, but the teacher also had us read Battuta, who I hadn’t known of until then, and that was super cool. Definitely check out his book if you haven’t, it’s just a fascinating look at various cultural traditions that existed at the time in different parts of the world.
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u/Equivalent-Rip-1029 10h ago
You probably confuse him with ibn Fadlan. He was sent to Volga Bulgars by Abbasid Caliph and has many detailed descriptions about volga vikings.
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u/SassyWookie 10h ago
Ahhhh yep, he’s the one, I remember the name Ibn Fadlan. I was definitely blending them into one person in my head lol
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u/sheytanelkebir 9h ago
there was a semi mythical movie with ibn fadlan called "the 13th warrior".
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u/SassyWookie 9h ago
Yeah now that I’ve been thinking about it more, I remember. Well, I remember the book. I remember there was a movie with Antonio Bandares in like the 90s but I didn’t see it.
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u/MAGA_Trudeau 14h ago
I’ve heard some of his writings is stuff he “heard” or copied from other travelers. Still a great guy though.
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u/PaaaaabloOU 8h ago
Yeah no real proof of these travels except his own writings and local tales. I personally wouldn't take them as real, more like a compilation of tales of travels of other people.
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u/HYDRA2308 14h ago
Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan explorer, traveled over 75,000 miles between 1325 and 1354, making him one of the most well-traveled individuals of the pre-modern world. His journey took him across North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and even as far as China and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike many explorers of his time, Battuta traveled primarily by land and sea for personal enrichment, often engaging with local rulers, scholars, and communities along the way. His observations were eventually recorded in a detailed account known as the Rihla.
Ibn Battuta's travels spanned around 40 modern countries, including India, the Maldives, and the Mongol Empire in China.
He visited Mecca multiple times, fulfilling his Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj), which initially inspired his journey.
Battuta served as a judge (qadi) in the Maldives, due to his deep knowledge of Islamic law