He journeyed farther than his near contemporary Marco Polo, though Muslim scholar Ibn Battuta (1304-c. 1377) is barely remembered at all compared to that legendary traveler. But Battuta's story is just as fascinating, as this 1829 translation of his diaries, by British Orientalist REV. SAMUEL LEE (1783 -1852), demonstrates. Embarking upon what would eventually be a 27-year pilgrimage, Battuta traveled through East Africa, the Middle East, India, China, and beyond, bringing him to most of the 14th-century Islamic world. Rife with beautiful descriptions of the exotic peoples he met and landscapes he saw, this little--known classic of medieval literature will enthrall scholars of Islamic history and armchair travelers alike.
He journeyed farther than his near contemporary Marco Polo, though Muslim scholar Ibn Battuta (1304-c. 1377) is barely remembered at all compared to that legendary traveler. But Battuta's story is just as fascinating, as this 1829 translation of his diaries, by British Orientalist REV. SAMUEL LEE (1783 -1852), demonstrates. Embarking upon what would eventually be a 27-year pilgrimage, Battuta traveled through East Africa, the Middle East, India, China, and beyond, bringing him to most of the 14th-century Islamic world. Rife with beautiful descriptions of the exotic peoples he met and landscapes he saw, this little--known classic of medieval literature will enthrall scholars of Islamic history and armchair travelers alike.
