Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta | |
|---|---|
ابن بطوطة | |
1878 illustration by Léon Benett showing Ibn Battuta (center) and his guide (left) in Egypt | |
| Born | 24 February 1304 |
| Died | 1369 (aged 64–65) Marrakesh, Marinid sultanate |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation(s) | Traveller, Geographer, explorer, scholar, judge |
| Era | Post-classical history |
| Notable work | Rihla |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Muḥammad مُحَمَّد |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf ibn Baṭṭūṭah ابن عبد الله بن محمد بن إبراهيم بن محمد بن يوسف بن بطوطة |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | ʾAbū ʿAbd Allāh أبو عبد الله |
| Epithet (Laqab) | Shams al-Dīn شمس الدين |
Ibn Battuta (/ˌɪbən bætˈtuːtɑː/; 24 February 1304 – 1368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn Battuta dictated an account of his journeys, titled A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, commonly known as The Rihla.
Ibn Battuta travelled more than any other explorer in pre-modern history, totalling around 117,000 km (73,000 mi), surpassing Zheng He with about 50,000 km (31,000 mi) and Marco Polo with 24,000 km (15,000 mi).