Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta was born in a rich family in Tangier, Morocco. His plan was to be a judge. After his studying, Ibn Battuta decided to make pilgrimage to Makkah for Hajj. Makkah was 3000 miles away and the journey would take more then a year. Therefore, Ibn Battuta left on June 14, 1325 CE. Fascinated by the sights he saw, Ibn Battuta decided to devote his life to traveling. First, he made two rules for himself:
Only to visit the Muslim world.•
Never to travel any road a second time.•
He began first by exploring the lands of the Middle East. Then he sailed down the Red Sea to Makkah. He crossed the huge Arabian Desert and traveled to what are now Iraq and Iran. In 1330 CE, he set of again, down the Red Sea to Aden and then along the coast of East Africa to present day Tanzania. Then in 1332 CE, Ibn Battuta decided to go to India. He was welcomed by the Sultan of Delhi and given the job of a judge. He stayed in India for 8 years and then left for China. He survived wars, shipwrecks, and rebellions. Finally, he returned home at Tangier in 1349 CE. Ibn Battuta left for another adventure. In 1352 CE, he went south, crossed the Sahara desert, and visited the African kingdom of Mali. He got back to Morocco in 1354 CE. He had traveled for about 29 years and more then 75,000 miles, visited all Muslim lands, and met sixty different rulers.
