He had no special destination, and with his only goal being to visit as many lands as possible, he took care in choosing different routes. He traveled across the entire Middle East, from South in Ethiopia to the north in Persia. "Then we traveled to Baghdad, the Abode of Peace and Capital of Islam. Here there are two bridges like that at Hilla, on which the people promenade night and day, both men and women. The baths at Baghdad are numerous and excellently constructed, most of them being painted with pitch, which has the appearance of black marble. This pitch is brought from a spring between Kufa and Basra, from which it flows continually. It gathers at the sides of the spring like clay and is shoveled up and brought to Baghdad. Each establishment has a number of private bathrooms, every one of which has also a washbasin in the corner, with two taps supplying hot and cold water. Every bather is given three towels, one to wear round his waist when he goes in, another to wear round his waist when he comes out, and the third to dry himself with."

Moving along further North, Ibn Battuta took to exploring the Caspian and Black Sea regions as well as the South of Russia. His more interesting later travels were to be further east in Asia. He reached India, where he impressed the ruling Mongol emperor with his knowledge and tales. The emperor offered him a position at his court, which Ibn Battuta accepted. This gave him a chance to explore the whole of India. Having gained considerable experience during his travels around the country, he was then appointed as the Indian ambassador to China. This occupation was destined to be the final one for Battuta before he decided to return home. Facing a long journey back, he set out to his native lands. He reached northwest Africa around 1351. He made a short trip to Spain and then south to the Sahara before finally coming to Fez, Morocco in about 1353.

Back in Fez, the Sultan of Morocco, Abu Inan (1348-1358 C.E), was so impressed to hear Ibn Battuta’s account of his travels, that he commanded him to remain in Fez and store his tales in a book. Then, with the help of an aspiring writer – Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi (1321-1356 C.E.) – Ibn Battuta composed his popular “Rihla.” The Rihla, or “The Travels” if translated, was comprised of four separate volumes. Perhaps, Ibn Juzayy has added a little fiction from time to time for the purpose of entertainment and easy communication, but on the whole he is believed to have strictly followed Ibn Battuta’s narrative. Strangely enough, the Rihla did not become popular until relatively recently, in the 19th century. This is when increased contacts with Europe introduced the book there and it was translated into French, English, and other European languages. The Europeans valued the records of Ibn Battuta as an important document of historical significance.

After finishing the Rihla, Ibn Battuta, already a man of age, did not make any long traveling through the deserts or elsewhere. He took up a position as a judge and continued to spread the wisdom he had accumulated on his travels. Although there are fewer records for the last part of Ibn Battuta’s life, it is known that he died in 1369 at the age of sixty-five. Long years after this, Ibn-Battuta remained the most traveled man in the world.

Today, quite suitably, Ibn Battuta has been honored in the field of exploration. To commemorate his remarkable achievements in voyaging, modern scientists have named one of the Moon’s craters Ibn Battuta.  Also, the Ibn Battuta shopping center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is named after him.

http://www.alshindagah.com/mayjun2003/ibn.html