Ibn Battuta: The 27-Year Journey Across the Islamic World

Ibn Battuta (1304–1369), a Moroccan scholar from Tangier, traveled ~75,000 miles over 27 years (1325–1354), visiting over 40 modern countries across the Islamic world and beyond:

• Hajj routes: Mecca, Medina (multiple times).
• Middle East: Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Basra.
• East Africa: Kilwa, Mogadishu, Mombasa.
• Anatolia & Central Asia: Konya, Samarkand, Bukhara, Delhi (served Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq).
• Indian Ocean: Maldives (judge), Sri Lanka, Sumatra, China (Quanzhou, Hangzhou, Beijing).
• West Africa: Mali Empire — spent ~1 year in Timbuktu (1352–53), documenting its scholars, markets, manuscripts, and wealth.

His Rihla (Journey) is a primary source for 14th-century Islamic civilization. Dictated to Ibn Juzayy; translated worldwide.