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Cross-curricular page History Lesson Link

A. Discuss. www.ien.edu.sa
• Do you know of any famous explorers?
• What did they discover?

B. Who is Ibn Battuta? Read and find out.

A great explorer

A bu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta was born in 1304 in Tangier,
Morocco. He came from a rich family and studied Muslim Law like
his father. Ibn Battuta was an amazing traveller. In his lifetime, he travelled
75,000 miles and visited over 40 countries from West Africa to India.

When he was 21, he left home to go to Makkah on Hajj. His dream was
to visit all the countries of the Muslim world and ‘never, if possible, cover a
road a second time.’ Ibn Battuta travelled on foot, with caravans (because
it was safer than travelling alone), but also on horse, camel or by boat. But
which places did he visit? He started from the Middle-Eastern countries
like Egypt and Syria and then visited Makkah. From there, he went to Iraq,
Persia and East Africa.
Also, he explored the Black Sea area and then travelled to countries like
India, Ceylon, and Spain.

After 29 years of travelling, Ibn Battuta decided to write a book about his
adventures with the help of a young man, Ibn Juzayy. The title of the 1000-
page book was ‘A gift to those who contemplate* the wonders of cities and
the marvels of travelling’, but people also know it as ‘The Journey’ or ‘Rihla’.

Ibn Battuta was a very important and respected man, who is famous
around the world because of his travels and his spirit of adventure.

*think about, consider

POEM C. Read again and answer the questions.
1. Where was Ibn Battuta from?
“Broaden 2. Why did Ibn Battuta start his travels?
your mind” 3. How did Ibn Battuta travel?
4. How many years did his travels last?
Go to page 78. 5. What was the title of Ibn Battuta’s book?

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