113 moments

  1. Born in Tangier

    · Tangier, Morocco

    Ibn Battuta was born into a family of Islamic legal scholars in Tangier.

  2. Enters Tunis

    · Tunis, Tunisia

    Ibn Battuta entered Tunis, stayed through a religious festival, and joined the annual pilgrim caravan.

  3. Falls ill at Béjaïa

    · Béjaïa, Algeria

    He became feverish at Béjaïa but refused to suspend his pilgrimage.

  4. Halts outside Algiers

    · Algiers, Algeria

    Ibn Battuta paused near Algiers while travelling east with merchants and diplomats. Coordinates represent Algiers rather than the unidentified campsite outside its medieval walls.

  5. Reaches Tripoli

    · Tripoli, Libya

    Ibn Battuta reached Tripoli with the pilgrim caravan and separated from his first wife after departing. The source establishes the 1325–1326 itinerary but not the month of arrival.

  6. Recovers briefly at Annaba

    · Annaba, Algeria

    He stayed several days at medieval Bona before pressing toward Tunis despite renewed fever.

  7. Shelters in Constantine

    · Constantine, Algeria

    Heavy rain drove Ibn Battuta and his companions from their camp into houses in Constantine. Coordinates represent Constantine; the initial camp was outside the town.

  8. Stays at Miliana

    · Miliana, Algeria

    He caught the Tunisian ambassadors at Miliana and remained there while they were ill.

  9. Stops in Tlemcen

    · Tlemcen, Algeria

    Tlemcen was an early stop on his overland pilgrimage across North Africa. The source supports the year through its continuous 1325 itinerary but not a calendar date.

  10. Leaves Tangier for the hajj

    · Tangier, Morocco

    At twenty-one, Ibn Battuta left his birthplace for Mecca, beginning nearly three decades of travel.

  11. Delayed at Gabès

    · Gabès, Tunisia

    Incessant rain held the pilgrim caravan at Gabès for ten days.

  12. Marries at Sfax

    · Sfax, Tunisia

    During the coastal journey, Ibn Battuta contracted his first recorded marriage at Sfax.

  13. Passes through Sousse

    · Sousse, Tunisia

    The pilgrim caravan followed the coast eastward through Sousse after leaving Tunis.

  14. Approaches Aydhab

    · Aydhab archaeological site, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt

    His first projected Red Sea crossing failed when rebellion forced him to turn back near Aydhab. The evidence supports presence on the approach to Aydhab, not entry into the town.

  15. Arrives in Cairo

    · Cairo, Egypt

    Ibn Battuta spent about a month in the Mamluk capital before attempting a Red Sea route to Mecca.

  16. Stays four days in Medina

    · Medina, Saudi Arabia

    The pilgrim caravan brought Ibn Battuta to Medina, where he visited the Prophet's city before continuing to Mecca. The visit occurred shortly before his November arrival in Mecca.

  17. Travels through Damietta

    · Damietta, Egypt

    He reached Damietta while moving through the Nile Delta toward Cairo.

  18. Visits al-Murshidi near Fuwwah

    · Fuwwah, Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, Egypt

    Ibn Battuta travelled through Damanhur and Fuwwah to stay at the rural cell of the mystic al-Murshidi. Coordinates represent Fuwwah; the source places the cell nearby across a canal.

  19. Visits Ali's mausoleum

    · Imam Ali Shrine, Najaf, Iraq

    After leaving Mecca with an Iraqi pilgrim caravan, Ibn Battuta visited the shrine associated with Ali in Najaf. The visit followed a journey of approximately two weeks from Medina.

  20. Arrives at Alexandria

    · Alexandria, Egypt

    Alexandria was Ibn Battuta's first major Egyptian destination and the scene of meetings that encouraged wider travel.

  21. Spends Ramadan in Damascus

    · Damascus, Syria

    Ibn Battuta resided in Damascus during Ramadan before joining the southbound pilgrim caravan. Wikipedia's chronology notes that some Palestinian stages attributed to this journey may conflate later travel.

  22. Completes first hajj

    · Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

    Ibn Battuta reached Mecca and completed the first of his recorded pilgrimages.

  23. Crosses to Isfahan

    · Isfahan, Iran

    He crossed the Zagros Mountains to Isfahan during his Iranian detour.

  24. Extended residence in Mecca

    · Mecca, Saudi Arabia

    After his second hajj, Ibn Battuta remained in Mecca for an extended period of study and pilgrimage. The Rihla suggests residence from September 1327 to 1330, but scholars argue that he may have departed after the 1328 hajj.

  25. Follows the Tigris to Basra

    · Basra, Iraq

    Ibn Battuta travelled south along the Tigris to the important port city of Basra.

  26. Guest of Mosul's governor

    · Mosul, Iraq

    Ibn Battuta visited Mosul during a northern excursion from Baghdad.

  27. Joins the royal road to Tabriz

    · Tabriz, Iran

    After briefly accompanying Abu Sa'id's travelling court, Ibn Battuta turned along the Silk Road to Tabriz.

  28. Journeys to Wasit

    · Wasit archaeological site, Wasit Governorate, Iraq

    Wasit was the first stage of Ibn Battuta's six-month detour through Iraq and Iran. Coordinates represent the archaeological remains of medieval Wasit.

  29. Visits Cizre

    · Cizre, Şırnak Province, Türkiye

    He continued up the Tigris corridor from Mosul to Cizre.

  30. Visits Mardin

    · Mardin, Türkiye

    Mardin marked another stage in Ibn Battuta's northern Mesopotamian excursion.

  31. Visits Shiraz

    · Shiraz, Iran

    Ibn Battuta continued south to Shiraz, then a major city that had escaped much Mongol destruction.

  32. Arrives in Baghdad

    · Baghdad, Iraq

    He completed the Iranian detour by crossing back to Baghdad.

  33. Arrives at Aden

    · Aden, Yemen

    Ibn Battuta reached the major Yemeni port from which he embarked for the Horn of Africa. Wikipedia dates arrival to about the beginning of 1329 or 1331.

  34. Departs through Jeddah

    · Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Ibn Battuta left the Meccan region through Jeddah to begin a Red Sea and Indian Ocean circuit. The departure may have occurred in 1328 or 1330; 1329 is an approximate placement within the disputed chronology.

  35. Received at Ta'izz

    · Ta'izz, Yemen

    At the Rasulid capital, Ibn Battuta was presented to Sultan Mujahid Nur al-Din Ali. The year follows Wikipedia's approximate Arabian chronology.

  36. Visits Zabid

    · Zabid, Yemen

    Zabid was Ibn Battuta's first major documented destination in Yemen. The broader Arabian and East African chronology is disputed by approximately two years.

  37. Crosses to Hormuz

    · Hormuz Island, Hormozgan Province, Iran

    Ibn Battuta visited the commercial center of Hormuz during his return from the western Indian Ocean. Coordinates represent New Hormuz on Hormuz Island, as described in the source.

  38. Lands at Alanya

    · Alanya, Antalya Province, Türkiye

    Ibn Battuta entered Anatolia at the southern coastal port of Alanya. The Anatolian chronology and sequence are disputed.

  39. Lands at Zeila

    · Zeila, Somaliland

    After sailing from Aden, Ibn Battuta spent about a week at the Somali port of Zeila. The year follows Wikipedia's East African itinerary; alternative reconstructions place this voyage around 1330.

  40. Received in Antalya

    · Antalya, Türkiye

    In Antalya, Ibn Battuta encountered the hospitable fityan associations that hosted him across Anatolia. The year is provisional because the Anatolian route is chronologically confused.

  41. Sails from Latakia to Anatolia

    · Latakia, Syria

    Latakia was Ibn Battuta's embarkation point for the Anatolian phase of his journey toward India. Wikipedia gives the departure for Anatolia as autumn 1330 or 1332.

  42. Stays in Mogadishu

    · Mogadishu, Somalia

    Ibn Battuta spent three days in prosperous Mogadishu and attended Friday prayer with its ruler. Wikipedia explicitly places his arrival in Mogadishu in 1332.

  43. Stops at Mombasa

    · Mombasa, Kenya

    Ibn Battuta made an overnight or short stop at the island town of Mombasa while sailing south. The East African itinerary's absolute year is disputed.

  44. Visits Kilwa

    · Kilwa Kisiwani, Lindi Region, Tanzania

    Kilwa was the southernmost major destination on Ibn Battuta's Swahili Coast voyage. Wikipedia separately labels the Kilwa visit as 1330; the overall itinerary also supports 1332, so the absolute year remains disputed.

  45. Visits Nizwa

    · Nizwa, Oman

    On the return toward Arabia, Ibn Battuta travelled through Oman and described its inland capital. Presence is supported by the first-person Oman itinerary, but the absolute year is affected by the disputed East African chronology.

  46. Arrives in İznik

    · İznik, Bursa Province, Türkiye

    At newly conquered İznik, Ibn Battuta received hospitality from the absent Sultan Orhan's wife. The exact position of this visit within the confused Anatolian itinerary is uncertain.

  47. Crosses the Hindu Kush at Parwan

    · Parwan, Afghanistan

    Ibn Battuta travelled through the cold Hindu Kush corridor on his approach to India. Barwan is identified with the Parwan region; the coordinate is representative.

  48. Embarks from Sinop

    · Sinop, Türkiye

    Ibn Battuta left Anatolia by sea from Sinop for the Crimean Peninsula. The absolute year is reconstructed from the disputed itinerary.

  49. Meets the emir at Azov

    · Azov, Rostov Oblast, Russia

    Ibn Battuta visited the Don estuary port of Azov before travelling inland through Golden Horde territory. The date is approximate within the Golden Horde itinerary.

  50. Reaches Bursa

    · Bursa, Türkiye

    He visited Bursa, then the capital of the expanding Ottoman polity. The absolute year is uncertain.

  51. Reaches the khan's camp

    · Mount Beshtau, Stavropol Krai, Russia

    Near Mount Beshtau, Ibn Battuta joined the mobile court of Öz Beg Khan. The source identifies the camp as four days from Qiram at Bishdagh, generally associated with Mount Beshtau; the Gregorian year is uncertain.

  52. Reports at Sarai al-Jadid

    · Sarai al-Jadid archaeological region, Volgograd Oblast, Russia

    After returning from Constantinople, Ibn Battuta reached the Golden Horde capital and reported to Öz Beg Khan. The identification and coordinates of New Sarai remain debated; this is a representative archaeological location.

  53. Spends a month in Constantinople

    · Constantinople, present-day Istanbul, Türkiye

    Accompanying a Byzantine princess, Ibn Battuta entered Constantinople, met Emperor Andronikos III, and toured the city. Wikipedia dates arrival to late 1332 or 1334; 1333 is a neutral approximate placement. The broader chronology is irreconcilable.

  54. Stays in Kaffa

    · Feodosiya, Crimea, Ukraine

    Ibn Battuta lodged in the Muslim mosque at the Genoese Black Sea port of Kaffa. Coordinates represent modern Feodosiya. The year is approximate.

  55. Stays with Birgi's sultan

    · Birgi, İzmir Province, Türkiye

    At Birgi, Ibn Battuta was hosted for fourteen days and received gifts from the local ruler. The source context identifies the ruler and palace as those of Birgi; the exact year is uncertain within the Anatolian itinerary.

  56. Travels with the court to Astrakhan

    · Astrakhan, Russia

    Ibn Battuta accompanied Öz Beg Khan's travelling court to Astrakhan. The medieval encampment's exact location may differ from the center of modern Astrakhan.

  57. Visits Bukhara

    · Bukhara, Uzbekistan

    Ibn Battuta crossed Central Asia to Bukhara on his route toward India.

  58. Visits Ephesus

    · Ephesus archaeological site, İzmir Province, Türkiye

    Ibn Battuta visited Ephesus, where he recorded purchasing a Greek enslaved girl. The absolute year is uncertain because the Anatolian itinerary is confused.

  59. Visits Qiram

    · Staryi Krym, Crimea, Ukraine

    Travelling by wagon across the Crimean steppe, Ibn Battuta reached Qiram and met its governor. Qiram is identified with modern Staryi Krym; the year is approximate.

  60. Visits Samarkand

    · Samarkand, Uzbekistan

    At Samarkand he observed the city's damaged walls and visited the court of the Chagatai ruler Tarmashirin.

  61. Spends Ramadan in Eğirdir

    · Eğirdir, Isparta Province, Türkiye

    Ibn Battuta stayed in the Hamidid capital through Ramadan. The source gives two alternatives: June 1331 or May 1333. May 1333 is used to fit the later documented Indus arrival.

  62. Reaches the Indus

    · Indus River, Pakistan

    The precisely dated Indus crossing anchors Ibn Battuta's entry into the Indian subcontinent. The source does not specify the crossing point; coordinates are a broad representative point on the middle Indus.

  63. Serves as qadi in Delhi

    · Delhi, India

    Ibn Battuta entered Muhammad bin Tughluq's service and remained associated with Delhi for approximately six years. The card marks the beginning of his Delhi residence; the exact appointment date is not supplied.

  64. Visits Baba Farid's shrine

    · Shrine of Baba Farid, Pakpattan, Pakistan

    Ibn Battuta paid respects at the shrine of Baba Farid while crossing the Punjab.

  65. Visits Hansi

    · Hansi, Haryana, India

    Hansi was a documented stop as Ibn Battuta moved through northern India toward Delhi. The year follows the entry itinerary but is not independently specified for Hansi.

  66. Leaves Delhi with the China embassy

    · Delhi, India

    Appointed to lead an embassy toward Yuan China, Ibn Battuta finally obtained permission to leave Delhi.

  67. Reaches Khambhat

    · Khambhat, Gujarat, India

    After surviving a bandit attack, Ibn Battuta rejoined the embassy and proceeded to Gujarat's port of Khambhat. The year is tied to the embassy's departure but the source gives no separate arrival date.

  68. Stranded at Calicut

    · Kozhikode, Kerala, India

    At Calicut, Ibn Battuta was the Zamorin's guest; a storm and the departure of his ships ended the formal embassy. The year is approximate within the embassy itinerary.

  69. Sheltered at Honnavar

    · Honnavar, Karnataka, India

    Unable to return safely to Delhi, Ibn Battuta stayed under Jamal-ud-Din's protection on the Sharavathi coast. The source identifies the area as Hosapattana in Honnavar Taluk. The year is an approximate placement after the failed embassy.

  70. At the Madurai court

    · Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

    After shipwreck and piracy, Ibn Battuta reached the Madurai Sultanate and spent time at its ruler's court. The year is reconstructed from the sequence before his 1345 Bengal journey.

  71. Chief judge in Malé

    · Malé, Maldives

    Ibn Battuta remained in the Maldives for nine months, serving as chief judge and marrying into the royal family. The visit's duration is supported, but 1344 is reconstructed from the sequence preceding his dated 1345 travels.

  72. Climbs Sri Pada

    · Sri Pada, Central Province, Sri Lanka

    From the Maldives, Ibn Battuta travelled to Sri Lanka and visited the pilgrimage mountain known as Adam's Peak. The year is reconstructed; the journey's chronology is not precise.

  73. Visits Tenavaram

    · Tenavaram temple site, Dondra, Sri Lanka

    Ibn Battuta also visited the major southern Sri Lankan temple complex at Tenavaram. Coordinates represent the accepted Dondra temple area; the year is reconstructed.

  74. Arrives in Quanzhou

    · Quanzhou, Fujian, China

    Quanzhou was Ibn Battuta's stated entry port into Yuan China and a major center of overseas Muslim commerce. Modern scholars dispute whether Ibn Battuta personally visited China.

  75. Claims audience in Beijing

    · Beijing, China

    Ibn Battuta claimed to have reached the Yuan capital and been invited to the imperial court. This is among the most disputed portions of the Rihla; scholars question whether he reached China at all.

  76. Guest in Hangzhou

    · Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    In Hangzhou, Ibn Battuta described the canals and Muslim quarter and stayed with a family of Egyptian origin. The quoted sentence's context is Hangzhou. The China journey is disputed.

  77. Lodges in Guangzhou

    · Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    Ibn Battuta stated that he travelled south to Guangzhou and stayed with a wealthy merchant. The China journey is disputed, and some scholars question this itinerary.

  78. Meets Shah Jalal near Sylhet

    · Sylhet, Bangladesh

    After a month-long journey through the hills, Ibn Battuta met the celebrated Sufi Shah Jalal. The exact cave or mosque site is not established; coordinates represent Sylhet.

  79. Reaches Chittagong

    · Chattogram, Bangladesh

    Ibn Battuta landed at Chittagong before undertaking an inland journey to meet Shah Jalal.

  80. Resides in Fuzhou

    · Fuzhou, Fujian, China

    He reported taking up residence with Zahir al-Din at Fuzhou before travelling farther north. The China journey is disputed.

  81. Stays at Samudra Pasai

    · Samudra Pasai archaeological area, Aceh, Indonesia

    Ibn Battuta spent about two weeks as the sultan's guest in the Muslim kingdom of Samudra Pasai. Coordinates represent the generally accepted Pasai archaeological region.

  82. Returns through Kozhikode

    · Kozhikode, Kerala, India

    On his westward journey, Ibn Battuta again passed through Kozhikode and decided not to return to Delhi. The exact year at Kozhikode is inferred from the 1346 commencement of his return journey.

  83. Returns to Quanzhou

    · Quanzhou, Fujian, China

    Ibn Battuta stated that he returned to Quanzhou and embarked for Southeast Asia and the westward journey home. The China journey is disputed.

  84. Arrives in plague-stricken Damascus

    · Damascus, Syria

    Ibn Battuta returned to Damascus during the Black Death and learned that his father had died years earlier.

  85. Makes his final recorded hajj

    · Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

    Before returning to Morocco, Ibn Battuta completed another pilgrimage at Mecca. The source supports 1348–1349 but does not give a month.

  86. Stays at Abu Sir

    · Abusir, Giza Governorate, Egypt

    Ibn Battuta lodged at Abu Sir while travelling through plague-stricken Egypt. The source does not distinguish explicitly among similarly named Egyptian settlements; coordinates use Abusir near Cairo.

  87. Stops at Homs

    · Homs, Syria

    He paused at Homs as plague spread across Syria and neighboring regions.

  88. Stops in depopulated Gaza

    · Gaza City, Gaza Strip

    Travelling south, Ibn Battuta found Gaza emptied by the Black Death.

  89. Returns to Damascus during the plague

    · Damascus, Syria

    Ibn Battuta was again in Damascus in July 1348 and witnessed communal responses to the epidemic.

  90. Detours to Sardinia

    · Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy

    Ibn Battuta made a final Mediterranean detour to Sardinia before reaching Morocco. The source names Sardinia but not the landing place; Cagliari is used as a representative port, consistent with the itinerary map.

  91. Returns to Tangier

    · Tangier, Morocco

    He returned to his birthplace and learned that his mother had died shortly before his arrival. This visit followed his documented arrival at Fez on November 13, 1349.

  92. Revisits Alexandria's lighthouse

    · Alexandria, Egypt

    On his westward return, Ibn Battuta revisited Alexandria and found its lighthouse more ruinous than in 1326.

  93. Arrives at Fez

    · Fez, Morocco

    Ibn Battuta presented himself at the Marinid court after nearly twenty-four years away from Morocco.

  94. Lands at Gibraltar

    · Gibraltar

    Ibn Battuta crossed the Strait intending to help defend Gibraltar from a threatened Castilian attack.

  95. Passes through Marbella

    · Marbella, Andalusia, Spain

    Ibn Battuta stopped in Marbella before taking the dangerous coastal road toward Málaga.

  96. Reaches Málaga

    · Málaga, Andalusia, Spain

    Escorted from Sohail, Ibn Battuta visited Málaga and described its commerce, mosque, and agricultural wealth.

  97. Recovers in Ceuta

    · Ceuta, Spain

    Ibn Battuta stayed for months at Ceuta, including three months of illness, before crossing to al-Andalus.

  98. Shelters at Sohail Castle

    · Sohail Castle, Fuengirola, Andalusia, Spain

    A frontier officer sheltered Ibn Battuta at Sohail while Christian raiders remained offshore.

  99. Stays in Ronda

    · Ronda, Andalusia, Spain

    He spent five days in Ronda, where the qadi was his cousin.

  100. Stops in Marrakesh

    · Marrakesh, Morocco

    After returning from al-Andalus, Ibn Battuta paused in plague-damaged Marrakesh during a tour of Morocco.

  101. Visits Granada

    · Granada, Andalusia, Spain

    Granada was the culminating destination of Ibn Battuta's tour through Muslim-ruled al-Andalus.

  102. Prepares at Sijilmasa

    · Sijilmasa archaeological site, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco

    Ibn Battuta reached Sijilmasa in autumn 1351, bought camels, and stayed four months before crossing the Sahara. Coordinates represent the ruins near modern Rissani.

  103. Reaches the Mali capital

    · Probable Mali imperial capital near Niani, Guinea

    Ibn Battuta travelled from Walata to the imperial capital, where illness delayed his meeting with Mansa Suleyman. The location of the fourteenth-century capital is debated. Coordinates use the traditional Niani identification as a representative point.

  104. Departs Sijilmasa across the Sahara

    · Sijilmasa archaeological site, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco

    Ibn Battuta began the trans-Saharan journey that would take him into the Mali Empire.

  105. Ten days at Taghaza

    · Taghaza ruins, Tombouctou Region, Mali

    After twenty-five days in the desert, Ibn Battuta reached the salt-mining settlement of Taghaza and remained ten days. The ruins' location and coordinate are approximate; month is calculated only to broad precision from the dated departure.

  106. Reaches Walata

    · Oualata, Mauritania

    After two months crossing the Sahara, Ibn Battuta arrived at Walata and stayed about fifty days. The month is approximate because the narrative expresses elapsed travel time rather than a calendar date.

  107. Reaches Takedda

    · Azelik archaeological site, Agadez Region, Niger

    From Gao, Ibn Battuta joined a caravan to the Saharan oasis and copper-trading center of Takedda. Takedda is commonly associated with the Azelik archaeological area; the identification and coordinates are approximate.

  108. Spends a month in Gao

    · Gao, Mali

    Ibn Battuta descended the Niger by canoe to Gao, then a major commercial center.

  109. Stays in Timbuktu

    · Timbuktu, Mali

    Ibn Battuta travelled overland from the Mali capital to Timbuktu and made a short stay there. Wikipedia states that he left the Mali capital in February; the year is reconstructed as 1353 from the return chronology.

  110. Returns toward Sijilmasa

    · Takedda region, Agadez Region, Niger

    Ordered home by the Marinid sultan, Ibn Battuta departed the central Sahara with a large northbound caravan. The quotation marks his departure for Sijilmasa; the precise starting point within the Takedda region is not specified.

  111. Dictates the Rihla at Fez

    · Fez, Morocco

    After his travels, Ibn Battuta dictated their account to Ibn Juzayy under Marinid patronage. The Rihla was completed around 1355; this card marks the beginning of the post-travel dictation period.

  112. Returns to Morocco

    · Sijilmasa archaeological site, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco

    Ibn Battuta completed his last great journey and returned to Marinid Morocco early in the year. The source does not explicitly state whether Sijilmasa or another Moroccan point marked the border arrival; Sijilmasa was his stated destination.

  113. Dies in Marrakesh

    · Marrakesh, Morocco

    Later tradition and the canonical biographical record place Ibn Battuta's death in Marrakesh. Sources also give 1368/1369, and little is known about his final years. The death place is reported in the article infobox but is not securely documented by contemporary evidence.