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The Odyssey of Ibn Battuta: Uncommon Tales of a Medieval Adventurer
Ibn Battuta was, without doubt, one of the world’s truly great travelers. Born in fourteenth-century Morocco, and a contemporary of Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta left an account in his own words of his remarkable journeys, punctuated by adventure and peril, throughout the Islamic world and beyond. Whether sojourning in Delhi and the Maldives, wandering through the mazy streets of Cairo and Damascus, or contesting with pirates and shipwreck, the indefatigable Ibn Battuta brought to vivid life a medieval world brimming with marvel and mystery. Carefully observing the great diversity of civilizations that he encountered, Ibn Battuta exhibited an omnivorous interest in such matters as food and drink; religious differences among Christians, Hindus, and Shia Muslims; and ideas about purity and impurity, disease, women, and sex.
David Waines offers here a graceful analysis of Ibn Battuta’s travelogue. This is a gripping treatment of the life and times of one of history’s most daring, and at the same time most human, adventurers.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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142 people want to read
About the author
David Waines
12 books2 followersDavid Waines is Emeritus Professor of Islamic Studies, Lancaster University in England. He has also held teaching or research posts in Canada, Egypt, Spain and the Netherlands.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 14, 2018
This excellent book analyses and discusses the travels and writings of the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta. Leaving home in 1325, he did not return for 30 years. Many historical treatises often reference Ibn Battuta when discussing religion, local culture, even food and appearances as observed by the traveller. His scope of travel is significant, even now, but especially for the time; from northern Africa, to the middle east, India, the Maldives, China and finally more central Africa.
Waines takes the time to discuss the theories of plagerism that hang over Ibn Batutta’s travelogues, and point out that he very likely wasn’t the only one. Also, all of this was, apparently, only written down after his return and was dictated to Ibn Juzayy, the official “writer”. There is an interesting discussion here too regarding Ibn Juzayy’s own take and input into the overall work and how that may have coloured the finished product.
Those esstential points acknowledged and put aside, Waines then proceeds to illustrate, in abridged fashion, Ibn Battuta’s travels, his opinions on other religions, how Muslims in other countries observe their religion, of different rulers, of women and culture of the varied places he passes throuh and lived in. All in all, this is a very interesting close up of what has often only been a citation in many other historical books. If you are interested in the travels of Marco Polo and others, you should enjoy learning about Ibn Battuta.
Waines takes the time to discuss the theories of plagerism that hang over Ibn Batutta’s travelogues, and point out that he very likely wasn’t the only one. Also, all of this was, apparently, only written down after his return and was dictated to Ibn Juzayy, the official “writer”. There is an interesting discussion here too regarding Ibn Juzayy’s own take and input into the overall work and how that may have coloured the finished product.
Those esstential points acknowledged and put aside, Waines then proceeds to illustrate, in abridged fashion, Ibn Battuta’s travels, his opinions on other religions, how Muslims in other countries observe their religion, of different rulers, of women and culture of the varied places he passes throuh and lived in. All in all, this is a very interesting close up of what has often only been a citation in many other historical books. If you are interested in the travels of Marco Polo and others, you should enjoy learning about Ibn Battuta.
March 26, 2024
The commentary on Ibn Battuta’s journey
This is a secondary-account book about the travels of Ibn Battuta, an odyssey from his home country Morocco, to North Africa, the Middle East, East Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and back home through the Iberian Peninsula and West Africa, which span in the period between 1325 and 1354.
The book is written by David Waines, an Emeritus Professor of Islamic Studies at Lancaster University, who selects some of the best passages from Battuta's own travel journal, organize them under several different topics, and add further context and commentary along the way.
This is where the book fell short, however, as the single narration of the epic 29 years journey is re-organized and broken down into 5 categories, which kill off the flow of the story and turn the daring adventure into a somewhat academic discussion.
The 5 categories are: 1. Critics about the validity of the travel tale (a buzz kill right from the start) 2. The summary of the journey, which only describe things in generic way and leave out the interesting details such as the human interactions 3. Specific chapter on food and hospitality 4. A chapter focusing on sacred places, saints, miracles, and marvels 5. Tales of the "other”, which leave out some of the most interesting parts at the very back of the book.
Which is a shame. Because Ibn Battuta’s story is a tale of weird encounters with the strange and sacred, which shows us a rare glimpse of the world in the 14th century not through the point of view of the kings and sultans, not through the priests and imams, but through an ordinary traveler's eyes. Hence, the number one appeal of his story is the epic journey in a form of medieval story-telling, which the book purposely breaks off.
It was also supposed to show all the details about food, dress code, hospitality, sexual customs, various employments and even his many marriages throughout the journey. And all mashed up chaotically together into one big narrative painted vividly alongside the pirates and the slaves, the cruelty and diseases, and the encounters with many different religions.
Having said that, in hindsight the book actually provides all of these information but the 5 chapters keep on overlapping each other. And in a non-linear way the book keeps on jumping from one place to another depending on the topics being discussed, so much so that I needed to constantly double check the actual route taken by Battuta.
Therefore it is perhaps best to read this book as a complementary note for the real travel account written by other books or the original Rihla by Battuta himself. With all the commentaries, further contexts, and fact-checking from this book can indeed be a great additional information for the epic story.
This is a secondary-account book about the travels of Ibn Battuta, an odyssey from his home country Morocco, to North Africa, the Middle East, East Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and back home through the Iberian Peninsula and West Africa, which span in the period between 1325 and 1354.
The book is written by David Waines, an Emeritus Professor of Islamic Studies at Lancaster University, who selects some of the best passages from Battuta's own travel journal, organize them under several different topics, and add further context and commentary along the way.
This is where the book fell short, however, as the single narration of the epic 29 years journey is re-organized and broken down into 5 categories, which kill off the flow of the story and turn the daring adventure into a somewhat academic discussion.
The 5 categories are: 1. Critics about the validity of the travel tale (a buzz kill right from the start) 2. The summary of the journey, which only describe things in generic way and leave out the interesting details such as the human interactions 3. Specific chapter on food and hospitality 4. A chapter focusing on sacred places, saints, miracles, and marvels 5. Tales of the "other”, which leave out some of the most interesting parts at the very back of the book.
Which is a shame. Because Ibn Battuta’s story is a tale of weird encounters with the strange and sacred, which shows us a rare glimpse of the world in the 14th century not through the point of view of the kings and sultans, not through the priests and imams, but through an ordinary traveler's eyes. Hence, the number one appeal of his story is the epic journey in a form of medieval story-telling, which the book purposely breaks off.
It was also supposed to show all the details about food, dress code, hospitality, sexual customs, various employments and even his many marriages throughout the journey. And all mashed up chaotically together into one big narrative painted vividly alongside the pirates and the slaves, the cruelty and diseases, and the encounters with many different religions.
Having said that, in hindsight the book actually provides all of these information but the 5 chapters keep on overlapping each other. And in a non-linear way the book keeps on jumping from one place to another depending on the topics being discussed, so much so that I needed to constantly double check the actual route taken by Battuta.
Therefore it is perhaps best to read this book as a complementary note for the real travel account written by other books or the original Rihla by Battuta himself. With all the commentaries, further contexts, and fact-checking from this book can indeed be a great additional information for the epic story.
June 27, 2025
Bu, İbn Battuta'nın memleketi Fas'tan Kuzey Afrika, Orta Doğu, Doğu Afrika, Orta Asya, Güney Asya, Güneydoğu Asya, Çin'e ve İber Yarımadası ve Batı Afrika'ya geri dönüş yolculuğunu anlatan ikincil bir yolculuk kitabı; bu yolculuklar 1325 ile 1354 yılları arasında gerçekleştirilmiş.
Kitap, Lancaster Üniversitesi'nde İslam Çalışmaları Profesörü olan David Waines tarafından kaleme alınmış. Waines, Battuta'nın kendi seyahat günlüğünden en iyi pasajlardan bazılarını seçmiş, bunları birkaç farklı konu başlığı altında düzenlemiş ve seyahat boyunca daha fazla bağlam-yorum eklemiş.
Ancak kitabın yetersiz kaldığı nokta da tam burası; çünkü destansı 29 yıllık yolculuğun tek anlatımı yeniden düzenlenmiş ve hikayenin akışını öldüren ve cüretkar macerayı bir nebze akademik bir tartışmaya dönüştüren 5 kategoriye ayrılmış.
Kategorileri bu şekilde ayırabiliriz: 1. Seyahat hikayesinin geçerliliği hakkındaki eleştiriler (en başından beri heves kırıcı) 2. Yolculuğun özeti, her şeyi sadece genel bir şekilde tanımlıyor ve insan etkileşimleri gibi ilginç ayrıntıları dışarıda bırakıyor 3. Yemek ve misafirperverlik üzerine özel bir bölüm 4. Kutsal yerlere, azizlere, mucizelere ve harikalara odaklanan bölüm 5. Kitabın sonunda ise en ilginç kısımlardan bazılarını dışarıda bırakan "öteki" hikayeler.
Bu hiç hoş değil. Çünkü İbn Battuta'nın hikayesi, garip ve kutsal olanla ilginç karşılaşmaların hikayesi ve bize 14. yüzyıldaki dünyaya kralların ve sultanların bakış açısından değil, rahiplerin ve imamların bakış açısından da değil, sıradan bir gezginin gözünden nadir bir bakış açısı sunuyor. Bu nedenle, hikayesinin temel çekiciliği, kitabın bilerek kestiği bir tür ortaçağ hikaye anlatımı biçimindeki destansı yolculuk şeklinde tanımlanabilir.
Bu nedenle belki de kitabı Battuta'nın kendisi tarafından yazılan orijinal metin için tamamlayıcı bir not olarak okumak en iyisidir.
Kitap, Lancaster Üniversitesi'nde İslam Çalışmaları Profesörü olan David Waines tarafından kaleme alınmış. Waines, Battuta'nın kendi seyahat günlüğünden en iyi pasajlardan bazılarını seçmiş, bunları birkaç farklı konu başlığı altında düzenlemiş ve seyahat boyunca daha fazla bağlam-yorum eklemiş.
Ancak kitabın yetersiz kaldığı nokta da tam burası; çünkü destansı 29 yıllık yolculuğun tek anlatımı yeniden düzenlenmiş ve hikayenin akışını öldüren ve cüretkar macerayı bir nebze akademik bir tartışmaya dönüştüren 5 kategoriye ayrılmış.
Kategorileri bu şekilde ayırabiliriz: 1. Seyahat hikayesinin geçerliliği hakkındaki eleştiriler (en başından beri heves kırıcı) 2. Yolculuğun özeti, her şeyi sadece genel bir şekilde tanımlıyor ve insan etkileşimleri gibi ilginç ayrıntıları dışarıda bırakıyor 3. Yemek ve misafirperverlik üzerine özel bir bölüm 4. Kutsal yerlere, azizlere, mucizelere ve harikalara odaklanan bölüm 5. Kitabın sonunda ise en ilginç kısımlardan bazılarını dışarıda bırakan "öteki" hikayeler.
Bu hiç hoş değil. Çünkü İbn Battuta'nın hikayesi, garip ve kutsal olanla ilginç karşılaşmaların hikayesi ve bize 14. yüzyıldaki dünyaya kralların ve sultanların bakış açısından değil, rahiplerin ve imamların bakış açısından da değil, sıradan bir gezginin gözünden nadir bir bakış açısı sunuyor. Bu nedenle, hikayesinin temel çekiciliği, kitabın bilerek kestiği bir tür ortaçağ hikaye anlatımı biçimindeki destansı yolculuk şeklinde tanımlanabilir.
Bu nedenle belki de kitabı Battuta'nın kendisi tarafından yazılan orijinal metin için tamamlayıcı bir not olarak okumak en iyisidir.
September 19, 2018
This scholarly book takes selections from Ibn Battuta's writing and groups them into topics. I'm looking forward to reading the primary source.
November 21, 2022
finally I got this book and unable to resist the temptation to start reading it (though there are still some unfinished books)
February 9, 2016
Overall an interesting abridged account of the travels of this interesting Medieval Arab traveler/explorer. If you enjoy accounts of people's travel and experiences then I recommended this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews