diff --git "a/combined.txt" "b/combined.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/combined.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,59400 @@ +Selections from the Travels of +Ibn Battuta + + +INTRODUCTION + +§ I, IDN DATTUTA AND HIS WORK + +To the world of today the men of medieval ChriAcn- +dom already seem remote and unfamiliar. Their +names and deeds are recorded in our hiftory-books, +their monuments ^ill adorn our cities, but our kin- +ship with them is a thing unreal, which coils an effort +of the imagination. How much more muil this +apply to the great Islamic civilization, that ilood over +againil medieval Europe, menacing its exiilcncc and +yet linked to it by a hundred tics that even war and fear +could not sever. Its monuments too abide, for those +who may have the fortune to visit them, but its men +and manners are to mofi of us utterly unknown, or +dimly conceived in the romantic image of the Arabian +Nights, Even for the spcdalifl it is difficult to re- +conflruft their lives and sec them as they %verc. +Hiflorics and biographies there arc in quantity, but +the hiflorians, for all their pi^resque details, seldom +show the ability to sclcft the essential and to give +their figures that touch of the intimate which makes +them live again for the reader. It is in this faculty +that Ibn Battdta excels. Of the multitudes that crowd +upon the 51age in the pageant of medieval Islam there +is no figure more inflinft with life than his. In his +book he not only lays before us a faithful portrait of +himself, with all his virtues and his failings, but evokes + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +a whole age as it were from the dead. These travels +have been ransacked by historians and geographers, +but no estimate of his work is even faintly satisfactory +which does not bear in mind that it is firSt and fore- +moSt a human diary, in which the tale of faCts is sub- +ordinated to the interests and preoccupations of the +diarist and his audience. It is impossible not to feel +a liking for the character it reveals to us, generous +to excess, humane in an age when life was its . at +cheapest, bold (did ever medieval traveller fear the +sea less ?), fond of pleasure and uxorious to a degree, +but controlled withal by a deep vein of piety and +devotion, a man with all the makings of a sinner, and +something of a saint. + +Of the external events of Ibn Battdta’s life we know +little beyond what he himself tells us. The editor +of the travels, Ibn Juzayy, notes that he was born +at Tangier on 24th February, 1304, and from a brief +reference in a later book of biographies we know +that after his return to Morocco he was appointed +qadi or judge in one of the Moroccan towns, and died +there in 1368 or 1369. His own name was Muham- +mad son of Abdallah, Ibn Battiita being the family +name, Slill to be found in Morocco. His family had +apparently been settled in Tangier for some genera- +tions and belonged to the Berber tribe of the Luwata, +which fir^t appears in hiCfory as a nomadic tribe in +Cyrenaica and on the borders of Egypt. For the re^l +he divulges incidentally in a passage relating to his +appointment as qadi iri Delhi, that he came of a house +which had produced a succession of qadis, and later +on he mentions a cousin who was qadi of Rondah +in Spain. He belonged, in consequence, to the re- +ligious upper-class, if the term may be used, of the +Muhammadan community, and mu^ have received +the usual literary and scholastic education of the +theologians. On one occasion he quotes a poem of + + + +TRAVELS OF IBK BATTOTA + +his own composition, but the other verses quoted here +and there ouviously bear a more popular charafler +than the elaborate produ£Bons of tnc bcR Arabic +poetic schools. His professional intercA in men and +matters rclipious may be seen on nearly c\'cr}* page of +his work. It isc\‘idcnt fromthcllilof qSdls and other +theologians whom he saw in cver^* town on his travels +(sometimes to the exclusion of all other details), but +above all from his eagerness to visit famous shaykhs and +saints wherever he went, and the enthusiasm with +which he relates inBanccs of their miraculous gifts. + +But to rate him, as some European scholars have +done, for his “ripmarolcs about Muhammadan saints +and spiritualises and for his “ Aupidit)* ” in paying +more attention to theologians than to details of the +places he visited, is singularly out of place. Such +religious details were matters in which he and his +audience were mod closely intcrciecd, and arc by no +means dc>’oid of intcrcA and vi]uc c\’cn to us. Out +of them, moreover, spring some of the mofl lively +passages of his narrative, such as his escape at Koel +(the modern Aligarh), and his account of the Sharif +Abii Ghurra. But it is of far greater importance to +remember that it was because he was a theologian +and because of his intcrcA in theologians that he +undertook his travels at all and survived to complete +them. When as a young man of twenty-one he set +out from his native town with a light heart, and not +much heavier purse, it was with no other aim than +that of making the pilgrimage to Mecca and the holy +places of his faith. The duty' laid upon every Muslim +of visiting Mecca at IcaA once in his lifetime, so long +as it lies within his power to do so, has been in all +ages a Aimulus to travel, far greater in degree than +the Aimulus of ChriAian pilgrimage in the Middle +Ages. At the same time, it created the organization +necessary to enable Muslims of every class Trom every +3 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +country to carry out this obligation. The pilgrim on +his journey travelled in a caravan whose numbers +swelled at every ^age. He found all arrangements +made for his marches and his haltSj and if the road +lay through dangerous country, his caravan was pro,- +tefted by an escort of soldiers. In all large centres +as well as many intermediate Nations were re^l houses +and hospices where he was hospitably welcomed and +entertained out of endowments created by generations +of benefaftors. When such was the lot of every +pilgrim, the theologian received ^lill greater considera- +tion. His brethren in every town received him as +one of themselves, furnished his wants, and recom- +mended him to those at the next Nation. Under +these circumstances the brotherhood of Islam, which +knows no difference of race or birth, showed at its +be^t, and provided an incentive to travel unknown in +any other age or community. + +Nor was the Pilgrimage the only inSlitution which +smoothed the traveller’s path. Throughout the Middle +Ages the trade routes of Africa and Asia and the +sea-borne trade of the Indian Ocean were almo^ +exclusively in the hands of the Muslim merchants. +The travels of Ibn Battdta are but one of many sources +which reveal how widespread were their aftivities. +Though their caravans were exposed to greater dangers +in times of lawlessness and disorganization than were +the pilgrim caravans, they offered at lea^ a measure +of security to the casual traveller. It is evident from +our narratives that in the great majority of cases they +were animated by the same spirit of kindliness and +generosity that has always marked the mutual relations +of Muslims, and readily shared their resources with +their fellow-travellers in case of need. Later on +Ibn Battuta had more than once occasion to appre- +ciate their services, but at the outset he had no thought +of what the future held for him. + +4 + + + +TR-AVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +On his arrival in Egypt, with his mind 5lill wholly +set on Mecca, he received the fir^l premonitions of +his future from two of the illuminati^ or saints who had +attained a high rank in the hierarchy of the Muslim +orders. From this point we see his vague desires +gradually crystallize into a definite ambition, though +he Still hesitates from time to time, especially when +his contacts with persons of saintly life awaken all his +inStinfts of devotion. Foiled in his firSt intention +of taking the diredt route to Mecca through Upper +Egypt (the usual route of the pilgrim caravans from +the WeSt), he determined to join inStead the pilgrim +caravan from Damascus, and on his way thither taSted +for the firSl time the joys of travel for its own sake. +As time was not pressing, he wandered at leisure +through the whole of Syria as far as the borders of +Asia Minor, before returning to Damascus to join the +caravan as it set out for the Holy Cities. + +Hardly was this firA Pilgrimage over than he set +out a^ain to visit ‘Irdq, but turned back sharply before +reaching Baghddd, and made a long detour through +Khuzi^tdn. By now, he tells us, he had taken the +resolve never to cover the same ground twice, as far +as possible. His mind was dlill set on the Pilgrimage, +however, and he planned his journey to cover the +interval before returning to Mecca at the end of the +year. This time he renounced further travelling for +a space of three years and gave himself up to ^udy +and devotion at Mecca. For the theologian the Pil- +grimage meant not only the performance of one of +the principal obligations of the Faith, but an oppor- +tunity of putting himself in touch with the adlivitier +of the religious centre of Islam. Mecca was the ideal +centre of religious dludy, in the company of many of +the mo5l eminent doftors of the day. All this, no +doubt, was in Ibn Battdta’s mind. But we may, I +think, discern a further purpose. He had already +5 + + + +hoiaia Syieu-- vgVbVe ^ ^ + +On corc^V^^ S ° ;nS as ^,nd ° ^ + +tbe'^fe + +btotbetbood , TXbin ^ ^opportunity t ( + +£ fVte iVlo’^S®^ „ of an opt' rvenP^s +°'.V^,\dvantnge ot ^ *e ftep? „„ + + +r?n*nsif ' „:rtbe BU* ^ Horde, ^on- + +"totberboods, u ^ o£ *®„_ottunity “f -Hrid + +^ -and beco^a^ & , Hnnfb® ivinS* + +so'-' 'ving'ieS^'^ ’'tin^”"' tb +^CVio- tbougb b^ U fiS"'"’ vt + +X)elbi, p, and . V. was t>ur -anY- r +n„lfan’s boun^ , ^^.^1, be ^ opg innnj ^n + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +tions which he afterwards wove into one of the moft +remarkable descriptions we possess of any medieval +Muslim court. Little did Sultan or courtiers think +that six centuries afterwards their reputations would +depend on the notes and reminiscences of the obscure +and spendthrift qSdi from the We^t. At laft the +inevitable rupture occurred, whose consequences were +usually swift and fatal to the viftim of the royal dis- +pleasure. Ibn Battdta took refuge in his laft resort, +the adoption of the ascetic life, resigning all his offices +and giving away all his possessions. It was a genuine +aft of world-rcnuncaition, such as always lay near to +the heart of the medieval theologian, and seems to have +convinced Sultan Muhammad of the traveller's real +integrity and devotion. At all events, when he re- +quired shortly afterwards a truftworthy person to send +as his envoy to China, it was Ibn Battiita whom he +summoned. Ibn Battiita, for his part, it would seem, +was reluftant to doff his hermit’s garments and +“ become entangled in the world again.” But the +bribe was too great, and in 1342 he set off in semi- +regal ftate at the head of the mission to the moft +powerful ruler in the world of his time, the Mongol +Emperor of China. + +Scarcely had he left the walls of Delhi when his +adventures began. For eight days he was a hunted +fugitive, and though he escaped to rejoin his embassy +3 J 7 its progress throvgh Ind/a, it was only to be left +with nothing but the clothes he ftood up in and his +prayer-mat on the shore at Calicut. To go on with +his mission in the circumftances was impossible; +to return to Dehli was to incur the wrath of Sultan +Muhammad. He chose inftcad to indulge his love +of adventure with the independent rulers of the Malabar +coaft, and eventually found himself at the Maidive +Islands, once again a qddf and a personage of im- +portance. Here too after eighteen months of lotos- +7 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +eating his reforming zeal made of him an objeft of +suspicion and dislike, and he found it expedient to +leave the islands. The devotee in him again asserted +itself, and his fir^l objeft was to make a pilgrimage to +the “ Foot of Adam ” on the highe^ peak of Ceylon. +This done he returned to the Coromandel and Malabar +coafts, paid another brief visit to the Maidive Islands +and prepared in earnest for his journey to China. +Some months had ^lill to elapse before the sailing +season, however, and he chose to spend them in a +voyage to Bengal, for no other reason, apparently, +than to visit a famous shaykh living in Assam. He +then intercepted the “ Chinese ” vessels — really vessels +owned by Muhammadan merchants, with Chinese and +Malay crews — at Sumatra and went by a route that +has taxed the ingenuity of his commentators to the +“ Shanghai ” of China in the thirteenth and fourteenth +centuries, the port of Ts’wan-chow-fu, or Zaytdn, as +it was known to the foreign merchants. For this +journey Ibn Battdta reassumed his role of ambassador, +though it may strike us as curious that no one seemed +to entertain any suspicions of an ambassador who +travelled without embassy or credentials. It was, +however, his only device for making his way through +China, though his theological reputation ^ood him in +good ^ead amongst his fellow-Muslims in the trading +ports. In every city on his progress to and from +Peking he was received with full honours, but at +Peking itself he was disappointed of seeing the Em- +peror, owing to his absence from the capital. + +Returning to Zaytdn, he took ship again for Sumatra, +and thence for Malabar, but decided not to expose +himself a second time to the treacherous splendours +of Delhi, and made we^wards in^ead. He was in +Syria at the outbreak of the fir^ “ Black Death ” in +1348, and in a few terse sentences reveals its frightful +ravages. At this time he seems to have had no defi- + +8 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +nite plans for the future, and was aiming only at com- +pleting yet another Pilgrimage, his seventh, to Mecca. +What eventually led him to return to his native land +is not clear. His own narrative places more weight +on the rapid access of Arength and prosperity which +Morocco enjoyed under Sultan Abal-Hasan and his +son Abu ‘Indn, than on those ties of family and +kindred which appear to us so much more natural +a reason. Possibly allowances should be made for +the part of exaggeration and flattery', but the brevity +of his dlay in Tangier, and the unemotional, almoft +brusque, manner in which he mentions it, scarcely +witness to an overmadlering homesickness, which, in +any case, was hardly to be expefted in a society so +cosmopolitan as that of medieval Islam. + +The journey from Alexandria to the Barbary coa^l +was not without its alarms. Twice Ibn Battista +narrowly escaped capture by Chriftian corsairs, and +in addition his party was threatened by a robber band +almo^ within sight of Fez. Even yet his ambition +was not appeased. There were dlill two Muslim +countries which he had not visited — ^Andalusia and the +Negrolands on the Niger. Once again he took up +the dlaff of travel, not to lay it down again until some +three years later he could claim with justice the title +of “ The Traveller of Islam.” He was in fafl the only +medieval traveller who is known to have visited the +lands of every Muhammadan ruler of his time, quite +apart from such infidel countries as Con^lantinople, +Ceylon, and China, which were embraced in his +journeys. The mere extent of his wanderings is +estimated by Yule at not less than 75,000 miles, +without allowing for deviations, a figure which is not +likely to have been surpassed before the age of ^eam. + +Unfortunately no account of Ibn Battiita has come +down to us (so far as is known) from anyone who saw +him on his journeys. There appear to be only two +9 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +known references to him in the writings of contempo- +raries, and both are concerned chiefly with the credi- +bility of his Tories, which was hotly disputed. What +they thought of him personally we are not told, but +are able to infer occasionally from his own candid +^atements. Twice we find him, after receiving +a cordial welcome, becoming an obje6l of dislike or +suspicion, at Delhi and again in the Maidive Islands. +In the fir^ case the cause was his extravagance, in the +second it was fear of his growing influence and resent- +ment at his haughty independence. There can be +no que^ion that he expefted of princes and minivers +a lavish exercise of the virtue of generosity, which was +indeed in his eyes — as in those of his age and com- +munity generally — their principal claim to respeff. +It may be taken as a general rule that when Ibn Battdta +says of this or the other prince that he is “ a good +sultan ” or “ one of the be^l of rulers,” he means only +that he is scrupulous in the performance of his religious +duties and openhanded in his dealings, especially with +theologians. We can well underhand that this +attitude was apt to pall on his patrons and lead at +length to unpleasant incidents, or at least mutual +dislike. Apart from these rare cases, however, he + +appears to have been liked and respefted wherever he +went. + +In attempting to e^imate the value of Ibn BattiJta’s +work, some description mu^ be given of the book +Itself. Ibn Batata may have taken notes of the +places that he visited, but the evidence is rather again^ +It. Only once^ does he refer to notes, when he says +that at Bukhara he copied a number of epitaphs from +t e tornbs of famous scholars, but afterwards lo^ +them when the Indian pirates Gripped him of all that +^ ^ f epitaphs were of special interest to + +j theologians because they con- + +fine lifts of the writings of the deceased. Ibn + +lo + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +Battista was not himself a man of letters who was likely +to regard his experiences as material for a book; on +the contrar}', he seems to haw entertained no idea of +writing them down. + +On his return to Fez he had related his adventures +to the sultan and the court, where they were received +with general incredulity, as we know from a passage +in the works of his great contemporar)', the hi^lorian +Ibn Khaldiin. . He found, however, a powerful sup- +porter in the wazfr, at whose inRigation possibly +the sultan gave inAruftions to one of the principal +secretaries, Muhammad ibn Juzap', to commit them +to writing. Ibn Juza)ty accordingly compiled the +work which we possess at the diflation of Ibn Battuta. +The result is a book of somewhat composite chamber. +The writer was not always content to take down Ibn +Battista's narratives as they were delivered. He shows +commendable care in regiBcring the cxail pronuncia- +tion of every foreign name (a matter of some importance +in view of the nature of the Arabic script), but in some +other respc£ls his editing is open to criticism. By +his own ilatemcnt the work is an abridgment, which + +f iossibly accounts for the brevity of one or two of the +atcr seflions. The bulk of the narrative has been +left with but little touching-up in the simple, straight- +forward ftylc of the narrator, out at points Ibn Juzayy +has embellished it in the taSle of the age, with passages +of rhetorical prose and cxfni^s from poems, whtch +seldom add much of interest. His interpolation of +incidents from his own experience may be excused, +but another of his proceedings is more questionable. +He had before him the narrative of the travels of +Ibn Jubayr, an Andalusian scholar who visited Egypt, +the Hij5z, and Syria in the twelfth centuty, and wrote +an account of his experiences which enjoyed a great +reputation in the Weft. Where Ibn Battiita covers +the same ground, Ibn Juzayy has often subftituted +XI + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +rpossibly at Ibn Battiita’s desire or with his per- +mission) an abridgment of Ibn Jubayr’s work, notably +in the account of the ceremonies observed at Mecca +during the Pilgrimage and at other seasons of the year. +We have consequently to bear in mind that the book +is not entirely Ibn Battuta’s work; there ^ are indeed +indications (for example, in the transcriptions and +translations of Persian phrases) that the reputed author +did not himself read the book at all, or if he did, read +it negligently. + +Taking the work, then, as a whole, we niuft regard +it as primarily intended to present a descriptive account +of Muhammadan society in the second quarter of the +fourteenth century. Ibn Battiita’s intereft in places +was, as we have seen, subordinate to his interest in +persons. He is the supreme example of h geogra-phe +malgre lui^ whose geographical knowledge was gained +entirely from personal experience and the information +of chance acquaintances. For his details he relied +exclusively on his memory, a memory, it is true, which +had been highly cultivated by the ordinary sy^em of +theological education. Involving the memorizing of +large numbers of works, but ^lill liable to slips and +confusions, more or less great. In his itineraries he +sometimes misplaces the order of towns, and twice at +lea^ leaves himself in the air, as it were, with a gap +of hundreds of miles. He gives wrong names at +several points, especially when he is dealing with +non-Muslim countries, where his knowledge of Arabic +and Persian was of little service to him. In his hi^ori- +cal narratives, which are generally tru^worthy, similar +miftakes are jFound. It Is indeed remarkable that the +errors are comparatively few, considering the enormous +number of persons and places he mentions. The mo^ +serious difficulty is offered by the chronology of the +travels, which is utterly impossible as it ^ands. Many +of the dates give the impression of having been Inserted + +12 + + + +travels of IBN BATTUTA + +more or less at haphazard, possibly at the editor^ +requeft, but the examination and correttion ot them +offtrs a task so great that it has not been attempted in + +this seleftion. . + +There is finally the queSion of his veracity. Thfe +can be no doubt that in his narratives of the Muslim +countries, notwithftanding errors of exaggeration ^d +misunderftanding, Ibn Batthta faithfully relates what +he believes to be true. Some critics have, however, +regarded his claim to have visited Conftantinople and +China with considerable dubiety. The principal diffi- +culties as regards the visit to Constantinople are the +vagueness of his route and his claim to have met the +ex-Emperor, when by his own chronology the ex- +Emperor had been dead for over a year. The firft +can be explained by the difficulties of an Arabic- +speaking traveller in such unfamiliar surroundings, +the second by an error in dating. The account of the +city itself is so full and accurate that it cannot be other +than the narrative of an eye-witness, who enjoyed +exceptional facilities such as Ibn Battdta had, and his +interview with the ex-Emperor in particular bears +the unmillakable ftamp of truth. + +The difficulties contained in the narrative of the +journeys to and in China are generally of the same order, +and will be more fully considered in their place. It +need only be said here that to deny them raises even +greater difficulties, and that by exaftly the same kind +of reasoning it can be “proved” that though Ibn +Battuta undoubtedly was in India he never went +there 1 Ibn Battdta is always unsatisfaaory when he +relies on second-hand information, and it is moft +unlikely that he could have put together so personal +a narrative had the ftatements of others not been +supplemented by his own observations. There are +also some material arguments in favour of his claim to +have visited China. He had, in his capacity as envoy +>3 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +from the Sultan of Delhi, very good reason for going +there, and facilities for travel in China which were +denied to the ordinary merchant. In the second place +one obscure passage in the narrative of his doings +at Khansa (Hang-chow) is cleared up by an earlier +passage relating to his visit to Shaykh Jaldl ad-Din in +Assam, with which the journey to China is closely +connefted. Thirdly, if his claim were false, he dlood +a reasonable chance of being exposed. He relates +with some emphasis that in his journey through +Northern China he met a merchant from Ceuta, the +brother of a man living in Sijilmasa, in Morocco, whom +he subsequently met also. That this merchant should +have had some communication with Morocco, even in +those days, is not impossible, since I bn Battiita himself +had once transmitted a sum of money from India to +Mequinez. On the whole, therefore, the narrative +dealing with China seems to me to be genuine, though +it is certainly related with greater brevity than usual, +either because Ibn Battiita could not recall the Chinese +names, if he learned them, with the same ease as the +more familiar Arabic and Persian names, or because it +was more dra^ically abridged by the editor. I can in +fa£t see no alternative, except to suppose that he was +hypnotized into the belief that he had gone there by +one of the miracle-working saints whom he met in +India. + +Ibn Battiita was fir^ brought into prominence by +the translation of an abridged text by Dr. Samuel Lee +in 1829. The complete text of the Travels, which +was found in Algeria a few years later, was published +with a French translation and critical apparatus by +Defrdmery and Sanguinetti in the middle of the +century from a number of manuscripts, one of which, +containing the second half of the work, is the autograph +of the original editor, Ibn Juzayy. The French +translation, though on the whole remarkably accurate, + +I4 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +suRcrs from the absence of cxplanator)* notes. Various +se£lions of the book (chiefiy from the French text) +have been annotated by scholars familiar with the +countries themselves, but a large amount Aill remains +to be worked over. In the present sclc^lions, w’hich +have been translated afresh from the Arabic text, +Ibn Battdla is treated as a traveller, and not as a writer +of geography. SulTicicnt indications have, it is hoped, +been added in the text and the notes to enable the +course of his journeys to be followed in detail on any +large-scale atlas, but many problems of geography +have been passed over in silence. The easy collo- +quialism of his ^yle has been retained in translation +as far as possible, in preference to a ^lilted Elizabethan +language. It has not been easy to make a selcftion +from the wealth of narrative and anecdote contained +in the work, and many intcreiling sc£lions have neces- +sarily been omitted or abridged. But until the appear- +ance of a complete version (such as the writer is now +preparing for the Haklu)^ Socict)’) it is hoped that +this extraft may be of service in introducing to a wider +circle of English readers one of the moA remarkable +travellers of his own or any age. + +§ 2. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF IBN BATT&Ta’s +TRAVELS + +, The Islamic world in the fourteenth century differed, +in extent and outward splendour, but little from the +magnificent empire ruled by the Caliphs of Damascus +and Baghdad in the eighth. If in the WcA it had +been shorn of its outpoAs in Spain and Sicily, it could +juAly claim to have more than balanced the loss by its +extension in India and Malaysia. It had recently +wiped out the laA traces of the humiliation infliAed +upon it by the crusading Franks, and was on the +point of cxaAing a signal vengeance by the sword of +*5 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +the Ottomans in Europe. Yet it was true, notwith- +standing all these apparent signs of progress, that the +political fabric of Islam was Stricken with mortal +disease. The centuries had taken a heavy toll of +vitality from that huge frame, and had left it Still +formidable, it may be, but wounded at the heart. + +The laSt Crusader had indeed been driven from the +shores of Syria, but at what a coSt! Two centuries +of Struggle and intrigue had been necessary to repel +attacks that the warriors of the early generations had +regarded as the minor incidents of outpoSt warfare. +The sceptre had passed from the hands of the supple +Arab and the cultured Persian to those of the violent +and illiberal Turk. For more than two centuries +after the year looo the ambitions of Turkish generals +and chieftains had torn and retorn the body of Islam, +devastating its lands by their misgovernment and +continual warfare more effectively than any foreign +foe. Convulsion succeeded to convulsion, until at +length the heathen Mongols from Central Asia made +hares of the Turkish lions, and in 1258 formed the +derelict eaStern lands of Islam into a province of their +immense empire. + +This event, the shock of which seemed to the +Muslim peoples like the LaSt Judgment of the Wrath +of God, proved in the end a blessing in disguise. Once +again the eaStern provinces enjoyed a period of firm +and relatively undisturbed government, under which +commerce and agriculture took heart and began to +re-create a prosperity that seemed to have vanished +for ever . Simultaneously Egypt and Syria, which +had withstood the Mongol onset, enjoyed under a +succession of capable rulers a rare period of peace and +prosperity. The Turkish captains who had hitherto +quarrelled over the mangled fragments of the central +provinces, were relegated to the frontiers, where they +indulged their taSte for warfare at the expense of the + + + +TRAVELS OF IRN BATTOTA + +infidel and the heathen, winning for themselves a +goodly portion of the riches of this world, and the +reputation of “ Warriors for the Faith ** to ensure their +portion in the world to come. The Mongol conqucRs +thus efTcflually contributed to the successes gained by +the arms of Islam in India, and a few years later also +in Thrace and the Balkan Peninsula, successes which +were supplemented by the missionary labours of saints +and darwish orders. + +\V}ien in 1325 Ibn Bathita set out on his journeys, +the political conditions in the Islamic lands were, in +consequence, relatively AabIc and unusually favourable +for travel. From AswAn to the frontier of Cilicia the +word of the Sultan of Eg)*pt was undisputed; the +Crusaders were but a bitter memor)*, and relations +with the Mongols, though not cordial, had not led +to warfare since the laA great vlflory of the youthful +Nisir at Damascus in 1303. *Ir.Aq and Persia ^lill +acknowledged the rule of the Mongol IFkhAns, now +good Muslims, but dcAincd soon to disappear. To +5 ie north and north-eaA the other Mongol khanates +of the Golden Horde and of Jaghatdy were on friendly +terms. Finally in India the ferocious but energetic +Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad ibn Tughlaq, was imposing +his ovcrlordship on the crcalcr part of the suo-con- +tinent. On the fringes 0? the great kingdoms, and in +such outlying parts as Anatolia, Afghanistan, and the +shores of the Indian Ocean, there cxiiled a hoSl of +petty sultans and amirs, who acknowledged no maSlcr +and maintained a precarious throne on the proceeds +of trade or freebooting, but these could hardly inflift +serious damage, even had the)' been so minded, on the +Islamic community in general. Commerce proceeded +freely both within and without the frontiers of Islam, +in spite of heavy dues and occasional vexations; and +if the indigenous industries had declined, in some +eases to the point of extinction, the revival of the + +17 c + + + +s B L £ C T ^ O ^ ^ ted t? + +B..ope.n — t'” + +*e ‘^^SfcoBipettoo" ^„,^ircv dm^f'_ + +the weakness of -.i, the ^ ^ue + +T-he essen inoft _ + +tion its several ^“'^'i^ecay. + +the forces^ century lau ^ d + +Botth-'^f?. together vnth Niu j^i„oravrds ^ +otV/eft,rwh'*’ Imiplres o^ * ^as P^^'^aiinids + +Mmohaas rn ^en tnr^ ^ the^^y^’^ .^d the + +the thirteenth at V^tended + +in the Vith their ^ of Ifr^^y?' . _ from + +T:he dangers -ealousios + +from _A3S ^g^nvent^ore dissipated ^Q^rces + +this disme ^^ouses, as Joggles th®, „ds frot” +nf the reignmg ^^tual ^"^'S^tivated lands + + + +TKAVELS OK IBN BATTUTA + +Sicilians less than twenty* years later, and only recovered +it in 1334 with Neapolitan and Genoese help. Their +empire extended in faft only over the coa^al ^Irip, +with some few fortified towns in the interior. The +prosperit}* of Tunis was due solely to its advantageous +position at the debouchment of the main trade routes +from the interior, which made it the premier commer- +cial city of the Maphrib and second only to Alexandria +among the Muslim Mediterranean ports, while its +culture, like that of the Maghrib generally, was mainly +suftained by refugees from the reconquered provinces +of Spain. + +Tnc Marinid dynafty of Morocco, makers of a +richer territor)*, were in ilill worse ease. Their +hiflor)' is a monotonous record of blood and ftrife; +few rulers were able to withiland the revolts and +intrigues of their ambitious relatives, and these few +used what respite they gained in militar)' expeditions +againfl their neighbours, or, more worthily, again^l +the ChriAians in Spain. The dynaBy rc.ichcd its +zenith under Abu*l-Hasan (1331-4^) bis son +Abii ‘Inin (1348-58), whose names frequently recur +in the latter part of Ibn Battdta’s narrative. Abu’l- +Hasan succeeded in capturing SijilmAsa and Tlemscn, +and, in spite of a sanguinaiy’ defeat by the Spaniards +at Tarifa in 1340, was able to add Tunis to his domi- +nions in 1347, only to lose it immediately and simul- +taneously lose his throne to his rebel son Abii ‘Inin. +The latter in turn, having recaptured Tlemscn and +re-entered Tunis in 1357, was deserted by his army +and ilrangicd on his return to Fez, leaving the king- +dom a prey to indescribable anarchy. Nevertheless +Morocco itself enjoyed during these two reigns a period +of relative prosperity, and its great cities were beautified +by many public buildings, which in their day can have +been little inferior to the magnificent monuments of +Egypt and India. There is, in consequence, some + +19 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +ju^ification for the exuberant praise which _Ibn +Battiita be^ows upon Abii Tnan’s beneficent adminis- +tration, especially if it is remembered how chaotic +were the conditions which, as will be seen, he had ju^l . +left behind in the Ea^. + +It is a pity that Ibn Battfita did not put on record +the fir^ impressions left on his mind when, as a young +man fresh from the narrow provincial life of Tangier, +he traversed the highly cultivated Delta of Egypt and +set foot in its opulent and teeming capital, then the +metropolis of Islam. Alone of all the Islamic lands +outside Arabia, Egypt had preserved the heritage of +Muslim culture, while the Mongols in the Ea^l and +the nomadic Arabs and Berbers in the We^ carried +deva^ation up to its very gates. Though the dyna^y +founded by the great Saladin had given place to the +military oligarchy known as the Mamldks, or White +Slaves, a form of government than which in theory +none could be worse, Egypt from 1260 to 1341 +enjoyed, with short intervals of turmoil, not only +widespread power and pre^ige, but also a high degree +of prosperity. This was due mainly to three things. +The Mamliik Sultans Baybars I (1260-77), Qala’iin +(1279-90), and al-Malik an-Nasir (i 299-1 341), what- +ever their personal faults (and they were many), were +exceedingly capable and far-sighted rulers. In the +second place the bureaucratic admini^ration which +Egypt had inherited from its Byzantine and Fatimid +governors was in all probability the mo^ efficient +in^rument of government which exited in the Middle +Ages. Thirdly Egypt enjoyed almo^ a monopoly +of the Indian trade, the mo^t profitable of all medieval +commerce, and drew from it the va^ revenues which +were needed for the upkeep of its elaborate organiza- +tion, as well as for the con^ruftion of the unsurpassed +series^ of architedlural monuments which are the +peculiar glory of Cairo. Under these circum^ances + +20 + + + +TRAVELS OF iBN BATTOTA + +the MamlcIoth in case I should fall by +reason of. my weakness. So great was my fear that +I could not dismount until we arrived at Tunis. The +population of the city came out to meet the members +of our party, and on all sides greetings and que^ions +were exchanged, but not a soul greeted me as no one +there was known to me. I was so affefted by my +loneliness that I could not rcilrain my tears and wept +bitterly, until one of the pilgrims realized the cause +of my distress and coming up to me greeted me kindly +and continued to entertain me with friendly talk until +I entered the ci^. + +The Sultan of Tunis at that time was Abii Yahyd, +the son of Abii Zakariya II., and there were a number +of notable scholars in the town.’ During my ^lay the +festival of the Breaking of the Fail fell due, and I +joined the company at the Praying-ground.® The +inhabitants assembled in large numbers to celebrate +the feilival, maki^ a brave show and wearing their +richeil apparel. . The Sultan Abii Yahyd arrived on +horseback, accompanied by all his relatives, courtiers, +and officers of ilate walking on foot in a ilately pro- +cession. After the recital of the prayer and the +conclusion of the Allocution the people returned to +their homes. + +Some time later the pilgrim caravan for the Hijdz +was formed, and they nominated me as their qddl +(judge). We left Tunis early in November, following +the coail road through Si!ba, Sfax, and Qdbis,® where +we flayed for ten days on account of incessant rains. +Thence we set out for Tripoli, accompanied for several +^ages by a hundred or more horsemen as well as a +detachment of archers, out of respefl for whom- the +Arabs kept their distance. I had made a contrail of +marriage at Sfax with the daughter of one of the +syndics at Tunis, and at Tripoli she Was conducted +to me, but after leaving Tripoli I became involved + +45 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +in a dispute with her father, which necessitated my +separation from her. I then married the daughter of +a ftudent from Fez, and when she was conduced to +me I detained the caravan for a day by entertaining +them all at a wedding party. + +At length on April 5th (1326) we reached iUex- +andria. It is a beautiful city, well-built and fortified +with four gates^° and a magnificent port. Among all +the ports in the world I have seen none to equal it +except Kawlam [QuUon] and Calicfit in India, the +port of the infidels [Genoese] at Sudaq in the land of +the Turks, and the port of Zaytdn in China, all of +which will be described later. I went to see the light- +house on this occasion and found one of its faces in +ruins. It is a very high square building, and its door +is above the level of the earth. Opposite the door, +and of the same height, is a building from which there +is a plank bridge to the door; if this is removed there +is no means of entrance. Inside the door is a place +for the lighthouse-keeper, and within the lighthouse +there are many chambers. The breadth of the passage +inside is nine spans and that of the wall ten spans; +each of the four sides of the lighthouse is 140 spans +in breadth. It is situated on a high mound and lies +three miles from the city on a long tongue of land +which juts out into the sea from close by the city wall, +so that the lighthouse cannot be reached by land +except from the city. On my return to the We^ +in the year 750^ [1349] I visited the lighthouse again, +and found that it had fallen into so ruinous a condition +that it was not possible to enter it or climb up to the +door.^^ Al-Malik an-Nasir had Parted to build a +similar lighthouse alongside it but was prevented by +death from completing the work. Another of the- +marvellous things in this city is the awe-inspiring +marble column in its outskirts which they call the + +Pillar of Columns.” It is a single block, skilfully + +46 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +carved, crefted on a plinth of square Clones like enor- +mous platforms, and no one knows how it was crcflcd +there nor for certain who creeled it.“ + +One of the learned men of Alexandria was the qddf, +a mailer of eloquence, who used to wear a turban of +extraordinary size. Never either in the cailcrn or the +wcilcrn lands have I seen a more voluminous head- +gear. Another of them was the pious ascetic Burhdn +ad-Dfn, whom I met during my ilay and whose +hospitality I enjoyed for three days. One day as I +entered his room he said to me “ I see that you are +fond of travelling through foreign lands.” I replied +“ Yes, I am ” (though I had as yet no thought of going +to such diilant lands as India or China). Then he +said *' You muil certainly visit my brother” Farid +ad-Dln in India, and my brother Rukn ad-Dfn in +Sind, and my brother Burhdn ad-Din in China, and +when you find them give them greeting from me.” + +I was amazed at his prediflion, and the idea of going +to these countries having been cail into my mind, my +journeys never ceased until 1 had met these three that +he named and conveyed his greeting to them. + +During my ^ay at Alexandria 1 had heard of the + +{ )ious Shaykh aI-Murshidl,who bellowed gifts miracu- +ously created at his desire. He lived in solitary +retreat in a cell in the country where he was visited +by princes and ministers. Parties of men in all ranks +of Jjfc used to come to him every day and he would +supply them all with food. Each one of them would +desire to cat some flesh or fruit or sweetmeat at his +cell, and to each he would give what he had suggested, +though it was frequently out of season. His fame was +carried from mouth to mouth far and wide, and the +Sultan too had visited him several times in his retreat. + +I set out from Alexandria to seek this shaykh and +passing through DamanhiSr came to Fawwd [Fua], +a beautiful township, dose by which, separated from +47 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +it by a canal, lies the shaykh’s cell. I reached this +cell about mid-afternoon, and on saluting the shaykh +I found that he had with him one of the sultan’s +aides-de-camp, who had encamped with his troops +ju^ outside. The shaykh rose and embraced me, and +calling for food invited me to eat. When the hour +of the afternoon prayer arrived he set me in front as +prayer-leader, and did the same on every occasion +when we were together at the times of prayer during +my ^fay. When I wished to sleep he said to me +“ Go up to the roof of the cell and sleep there ” (this +was during the summer heats). I said to the officer +“ In the name of God,”^^ but he replied [quoting from +the Koran] “ There is none of us but has an appointed +place.” So I mounted to the roof and found there +a ^raw mattress and a leather mat, a water vessel for +ritual ablutions, a jar of water and a drinking-cup, and +I lay down there to sleep. + +That night, while I was sleeping on the roof of the +cell, I dreamed that I was on the wing of a great bird +which was flying with me towards Mecca, then to +Yemen, then ea^wards, and thereafter going towards +the south, then flying far eastwards, and finally landing +in a, dark and green country, where it left me. I +was aftonished at this dream and said to myself “ If +the shaykh can interpret my dream for me, he is all +that they say he is.” Next morning, after all the +other visitors had gone, he called me and when I had +related my dream interpreted it to me saying: “You +will make the pilgrimage [to Mecca] and visit [the +Tomb o^ the Prophet, and you will travel through' +Yemen, ‘Iraq, the country of the Turks, and India. +You will ^lay there for a long time and meet there +my brother Dilshad the Indian, who will rescue you +from a danger into which you will fall.” Then he +gave me a travelling-provision of small cakes and +money, and I bade him farewell and departed. Never + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +since parting from him have I met on my journeys +aught but good fortune, and his blessings have ^lood +me in good ^ead. + +We rode from here to Damietta through a number +of towns, in each of which we visited the principal men +of religion. Damietta lies on the bank of the Nile, +and the people in the houses next to the river draw +water from it in buckets. Many of the houses have +^leps leading down to the river. Their sheep and +goats are allowed to pa^lure at liberty day and night; +for this reason the saying goes of Damietta “ Its walls +are sweetmeats and its dogs are sheep.” Anyone +who enters the city may not afterwards leave it except +by the governor’s seal. Persons of repute have a +seal damped on a piece of paper so that they may +show it to the gatekeepers; other persons have the seal +stamped on their forearms. In this city there are +many seabirds with extremely greasy flesh, and the +milk of its buffaloes is unequalled for sweetness and +pleasant taile. The fish called biiri“ is exported +thence to Syria, Anatolia, and Cairo. The present +town is of recent con^truftion; the old city was that +de^lroycd by the Franks in the time of al-Malik +as-Siiih.“ + +From Damietta I travelled to Fariskiir, which is +a town on the bank of the Nile, and halted outside +it. Here I was overtaken by a horseman who had +been sent after me by the governor of Damietta. He +handed me a number of coins, saying to me “The +Governor asked for you, and on being informed about +you, he sent you this gift ” — may God reward him ! +Thence I travelled to AshmiSn, a large and ancient +town on a canal derived from the Nile. It possesses +a wooden bridge at which all vessels anchor, and in +the afternoon the baulks are lifted and the vessels +pass up and down. From here I went to Samanniid, +whence I journeyed upstream to Cairo, between a +49 ^ + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +continuous succession of towns and villages. The +traveller on the Nile need take no provision with him, +because whenever he desires to descend on the bank +he may do so, for ablutions, prayers, provisioning, or +any other purpose. There is an uninterrupted chain +of bazaars from Alexandria to Cairo, and from Cairo +to Assuan in Upper Egypt. + +I arrived at length at Cairo, mother of cities and +seat of Pharaoh the tyrant, mi^ress of broad regions +and fruitful lands, boundless in multitude of buildings, +peerless in beauty and splendour, the meeting-place +of comer and goer, the halting-place of feeble and +mighty, whose throngs surge as the waves of the sea, +and can scarce be contained in her for all her size +and capacity.^^ It is said that in Cairo there are +twelve thousand water-carriers who transport water on +camels, and thirty thousand hirers of mules and +donkeys, and that on the Nile there are thirty-six +thousand boats belonging to the Sultan, and his sub- +jefts, which sail up^lream to Upper Egypt and down- +^ream to Alexandria and Damietta, laden with goods +and profitable merchandise of all kinds. On the +bank of the Nile opposite Old Cairo is the place known +as The Garden^^ which is a pleasure park and prome- +nade, containing many beautiful gardens, for the +people of Cairo are given to pleasure and amusements. +I witnessed a fete once in Cairo for the sultan’s re- +covery from a fra£lured hand; all the merchants +decorated their bazaars and had rich ^uffs, ornaments +and silken fabrics hanging in their shops for several +days. The mosque of ‘Amr is highly venerated and +widely celebrated. The Friday service is held in it, +and the road runs through it from ea^ to we^. The +madrasas [college mosques] of Cairo cannot be counted +for multitude. As for the Mari^an [hospital], which + +cables ” near the mausoleum +of Sultan ^ala*dn, no description is adequate to its + +50 + + + + +A GROUP or DARWISIILS D \NCINC + + + + + + + +TRAVELS OF !BN BATTOTA + +beauties. It contains an innumerable quantity of +appliances and medicaments, and its daily revenue is +put as high as a thousand dinars. + +There arc a large number of religious establishments +[** convents ”], which they call khtUsqiths^ and the +nobles vie with one another in building them. Each +of these is set apart for a separate school of danv/shes, +moilly Persians, who arc men of good education and +adepts in the myAical doflrincs. Each has a superior +and a doorkeeper and their affairs arc admirably or- +ganized. They have many special cuAoms, one of +which has to do with their food. The steward of +the house comes in the morning to the danvfshcs, +each of whom indicates what food he desires, and when +they assemble for meals, each person is given his +bread and soup in a separate dish, none sharing with +another. They cat twice a day. They arc each given +winter clothes and summer clothes, and a monthly +allowance of from t^venty to thirty dirhams. Every +Thursday night they receive sugar cakes, soap to +wash their clothes, the price of a bath, and oil for their +lamps. These men arc celibate; the married men have +separate convents. + +At Cairo too is the great cemetery of al-Qardfa, +which is a place of peculiar sanflity, and contains the +graves of innumerable scholars and pious believers. +In the Qardfa the people build beautiful pavilions +surrounded by walls, so that they look like houses.^ +They also build chambers and hire Koran-readers, +who recite night and day in agreeable voices. Some +of them build religious houses and madrasas beside +the mausoleums and on Thursday nights they go out +to spend the night there with their children and women- +folk, and make a circuit of the famous tombs. They +go out to spend the night there also on the “ Night +of mid-Sha‘bdn,” and the market-people take out all +kinds of eatables.^^ Among the many celebrated + +51 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +sanftuaries [in the city] is the holy shrine where there +reposes the head of al-Husayn.^“ Beside it is a va^t +monaftery of ^riking con^ruftion, on the doors of +which there are silver rings and plates of the same +metal. + +The Egyptian Nile^^ surpasses all rivers of the earth +in sweetness of ta^e, length of course, and utility. +No other river in the world can show such a con- +tinuous series of towns and villages along its banks, +or a basin so intensely cultivated. Its course is from +south to north, contrary to all the other [great] rivers. +One extraordinary thing about it is that it begins to +rise in the extreme hot weather, at the time when +rivers generally diminish and dry up, and begins to +subside ju^ when rivers begin to increase and over- +flow. The river Indus resembles it in this feature. +The Nile is one of the five, great rivers of the world, +which are the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Syr Darya and +Amu Darya; five other rivers resemble these, the Indus, +which is called Pan] Ab [t.e. Five Rivers], the river +of India which is called Gang [Ganges] — it is to it +that the Hindus go on pilgrimage, and when they +burn their dead they throw the ashes into it, and they +say that it comes from Paradise — the river Jiin [Jumna, +or perhaps Brahmaputra] in India, the river Itil +[Tolga] in the Qipchaq steppes, on the banks of which +is the city of Sara, and the river Sard [Hoang-Ho] +in the land of Cathay. All these will be mentioned +in their proper places, if God will. Some di^ance +below Cairo the Nile divides into three ^reams,^^ +none of which can be crossed except by boat, winter +or summer. The inhabitants of every township have +canals led off the Nile ; these are filled when the river +is in flood and carry the water over the fields. + +From Cairo I travelled into Upper Egypt, with the +intention of crossing to the Hijaz. On the fir^ night +I stayed at the monastery of Dayr at-Ti'n, which was + +52 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +built to house certain illustrious relics — a fragment of +the Prophet’s wooden basin and the pencil with which +he used to apply kohl, the awl he used for sewing his +sandals, and the Koran belonging to the Caliph ‘All +written in his own hand. These were bought, it is +said, for a hundred thousand dirhams by the builder +of the monastery, who also established funds to supply +food to all comers and to maintain the guardians of +the sacred relics. Thence my way lay through a +number of towns and villages to Munyat Ibn Khaslb +[Minia], a large town which is built on the bank of +the Nile, and moSt emphatically excels all the other +towns of Upper Egypt. I went on through Man- +faldt, Asyiit, Ikhmim, where there is a with + +sculptures and inscriptions which no one can now +read — another of these herbas there was pulled down +and its Slones used to build a madrasa — QinS, Qils, +where the governor of Upper Egypt resides, Luxor, +■a pretty litde town containing the tomb of the pious +ascetic Abu’l-HajjSj,“ Esnd, and thence a day and a +night’s journey through desert country to Edfd. Here +we crossed the Nile and, hiring camels, journeyed +with a party of Arabs through a desert, totally devoid +of settlements but quite safe for travelling. One of +our halts was at Humaythira, a place infefted with +hyenas. All night long we kept driving them away, +and indeed one got at my baggage, tore open one of +the sacks, pulled out a bag of dates, and made off +with it. We found the bag next morning, torn to +pieces and with most of the contents eaten. + +After fifteen days’ travelling we reached the town +of Aydhdb,^ a large town, well supplied with milk +and fish; dates and grain are imported from Upper +Egypt. Its inhabitants are Bejds. These people +are black-skinned; they wrap themselves in yellow +blankets and tie headbands about a fingerbreadth +wide round their heads. They do not give their +53 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +daughters any share in their inheritance. They live +on camels’ milk and they ride on Meharis [drome- +daries]. One-third of the city belongs to the Sultan +of Egypt and two-thirds to the King of the Bejas, +who is called al-Hudrubi.^® On reaching Aydhab +we found that al-Hudrubi was engaged in warfare with +the Turks [i.e. the troops of the Sultan of Egypt], +that he had sunk the ships and that the Turks had +fled before him. It was impossible for us to attempt +the sea-crossing, so we sold the provisions that we +had made ready for it, and returned to Qds with the +Arabs from whom we had hired the camels. We +sailed thence down the Nile (it was at the flood time) +and after an eight days’ journey reached Cairo, where +I ^ayed only one night, and immediately set out for +Syria. This was in the middle of July, 1326. + +My route lay through Bilbays and as-Salihiya, after +which we entered the sands and halted at a number +of stations. At each of these there was a hostelry, +which they call a khdn^^ where travellers alight with +their bea^s. Each khan has a water wheel supplying +a fountain and a shop at which the traveller buys what +he requires for himself and his bea^. At the Nation +of Qatya®° cu^oms-dues are colledled from the mer- +chants, and their goods and baggage are thoroughly +examined and searched. There are offices here, with +officers, clerks, and notaries, and the daily revenue is +a thousand gold dinars. No one is allowed to pass +into Syria without a passport from Egypt, nor into +Egypt without a passport from Syria, for the pro- +teftion of the property of the subjefts and as a measure +of precaution again^ spies from ‘Iraq. The responsi- +bility of guarding this road has been entru^ed to the +Badawin. At nightfall they smooth down the sand +so that no track is left on it, then in the morning the +governor comes and looks at the sand. If he finds +any track on it he commands the Arabs to bring the + +54 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +person who made it, and they set out in pursuit and +never fail to catch him. He is then brought to the +governor, who pui^ishes him as he sees fit. The +governor at the time of my passage treated me as +a.gue^l and showed me great kindness, and allowed +all those who were with me to pass. From here we +went on to Gaza, which is the fir^l city of Syria on the +side next the Egyptian frontier. + +From Gaza I travelled to the city of Abraham +[Hebron], the mosque of which is of elegant, but +sub^antial, conRru<^ion, imposing and lofty, and +built of squared Aoncs. At one angle of it there is +a ilone, one of whose -faces measures twenty-seven +spans. It is said that Solomon commanded the jinn^^ +to build it. Inside it is the sacred cave containing +the graves of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, opposite +which arc three graves, which are those of their wives. +I queRioned the imdm, a man of great pietv and learn- +ing, on the authenticity of these graves, and he replied: +“ All the scholars whom I have met hold these graves +to be the very graves of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and +their wives. No one queilions this except introducers +of false doflrines; it is a tradition which has passed +from father to son for generations and admits of no +doubt.” This mosque contains also the grave of +Joseph, and somewhat to the ea^l of it lies the tomb +of Lot,®^ which is surmounted by an elegant building. +In the neighbourhood is Lot’s lake [the Dead Sea], +which is brackish and is said to cover the site of +the settlements of Lot’s people. On the way from +Hebron to Jerusalem, I visited Bethlehem, the birth- +place of Jesus. The site is covered by a large build- +ing; the Chri^lians regard it with intense veneration +and hospitably entertain all who alight at it. + +We then reached Jerusalem (may God ennoble +her 1), third in excellence after the two holy shrines +of Mecca and Madina, and the place whence the +SS + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +Prophet was caught up into heaven.^® Its walls were +deftroyed by the illu^rious King Saladin and his +successors, for fear le^t the Chri^ians should seize +it and fortify themselves in it. The sacred mosque +is a mo^ beautiful building, and is said to be the larged +mosque in the world. Its length from ea 4 l to welt is +put at 752, “royal” cubits®^ and its breadth at 435. +On three sides it has many entrances, but on the +south side I know of one only, which is that by which +the imam enters. The entire mosque is an open +court and unroofed, except the mosque al-Aqsa, which +has a roof of mo^t excellent workmanship, embellished +with gold and brilliant colours. Some other parts +of the mosque are roofed as well. The Dome of the +Rock is a building of extraordinary beauty, solidity, +elegance, and singularity of shape. It ^ands on an +elevation in the centre of the mosque and is reached +by a flight of marble ^eps. It has four doors. The +space round it is also paved with marble, excellently +done, and the interior likewise. Both outside and +inside the decoration is so magnificent and the work- +manship so surpassing as to defy description. The +greater part is covered with gold so that the eyes of +one who gazes on its beauties are dazzled by its bril- +liance, now glowing like a mass of light, now flashing +like lightning. In the centre of the Dome is the +blessed rock from which the Prophet ascended to +heaven, a great rock projefting about a man’s height, +and underneath it there is a cave the size of a small +room, also of a man’s height, with ^eps leading down +to it. Encircling the rock are two railings of excellent +workmanship, the one nearer the rock being artistically +con^ruded in iron,=® and the other of wood. + +Among the grace-be^oWing sanSfuaries of Jeru- +salem is a building, situated on the farther side of the +valley called the valley of Jahannam [Gehenna] to +the ea^l of the town, on a high hill. This building is + +56 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +said to mark the place whence Jesus ascended to +hcaven.^^ In the bottom of the same valley is a +church venerated by the Chriilians, who say that it +contains the grave of Mary. In the same place there +is another church which the Chriilians venerate and +to which they come on pilgrimage. This is the +church of which they are fusely persuaded to believe +that it contains the grave of Jesus. All who come on +pilgrimage to visit it pay a stipulated tax to the +Muslims, and suffer very unwillingly various humilia- +tions. Thereabouts also is the place of the cradle +of Jesus, “ which is visited in order to obtain blessing. + +I journeyed thereafter from Jerusalem to the fortress +of Askalon, which is a total ruin. Of the great mosque, +known as the mosque of ‘Omar, nothing remains but +its walls and some marble columns of matchless +beautjr, partly landing and partly fallen. Amongst +them is a wonderful red column, of which the people +tell that the ChriAians carried it off to their country +but afterwards loft it, when it was found in its place +at Askalon. Thence I went on to the city of ar-Ram- +lah, which is also called Filaftfn [Paleftine], in the +qibla of those mosque they say three hundred of the +prophets are buried. From ar-Ramlah I went to the +town of Nibulus ([Shechemj, a city with an abundance +of trees and perennial ftreams, and one of the richeft +in Syria for olives, the oil of which is exported thence +to Cairo and Damascus. It is at Nibulus that the +carob-sweet is manufafturedand exported to Damascus +and elsewhere. It is made in this way; the carobs +are cooked and then pressed, the juice that runs out +is gathered and the sweet is manufaftured from it. +The juice itself too is exported to Cairo and Damascus. +Nibulus has also a species of melon which is called +by its name, a good and delicious fruit. Thence I +went to Ajaliin®® making in the direftion of Lddhiqiya, +and passing through the Ghawr, followed the coaft to +57 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +*Akka [Acre], which is in ruins. Acre was formerly +the capital and port of the country of the Franks in +Syria, and rivalled Con^antinople itself. + +I went on from here to Sur [Tyre], which is a ruin, +though there is outside it an inhabited village, mo^f +of whose population belong to the se6t called +“ Refusers.” It is this city of Tyre which has become +proverbial for impregnability, because the sea sur- +rounds it on three sides and it has two gates, one on +the landward side and one to the sea. That on the +landward side is protected by four outer walls each +with brea^works, while the sea gate Elands between +two great towers. There is no more marvellous or +more remarkable piece of masonry in the world than +this, for the sea surrounds it on three sides and on +the fourth there is a wall under which the ships pass +and come to anchor. In former times an iron chain +was stretched between the two towers to form a barrier, +so that there was no way in or out until it was lowered. +It was placed under the charge of guards and tru^- +worthy agents, and none might enter or leave without +their knowledge. Acre also had a harbour resembling +it, but it admitted only small ships. From Tyre I +went on to Sayda [Sidon], a pleasant town on the +coaft, and rich in fruit; it exports figs, raisins, and olive +oil to Cairo. + +Next I went on to the town of Tabariya [Tiberias].^® +It was formerly a large and important city, of which +nothing now remains but veftiges witnessing to its +former greatness. It possesses wonderful baths with +separate eftablishments for men and women, the water +of which is very hot. At Tiberias is the famous lake +[the Sea of Galilee], about eighteen miles long and +more than nine in breadth. The town has a mosque > +known as the “ Mosque of the Prophets,” containing +the graves of Shu‘ayb [Jethro] and his daughter, the +wife of Moses, as well as those of Solomon, Judah, + +58 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +and Reuben. From Tiberias we went to visit the +well into which Joseph was a large and deep well, +in the courtyard of a small mosque, and drank some +water from it. It was rain water, but the guardian +told us that there is a spring in it as well. We went +on from there to Baynit, a small town with fine markets +and a beautiful mosque. Fruit and iron are exported +from it to Egypt. + +We set out from here to visit the tomb of Abu +Ya'qdb Yiisuf, who, they say, was a king in North- +weA Africa. The tomb is at a place called Karak +Nuh,'^’ and beside it is a religious house at which all +travellers arc entertained. Some say that it was the +Sultan Saladin who endowed it, others that it was the +Sultan Ndr ad-Din. The Aory goes that Abu Ya‘qiib, +after laying some time at Damascus with the Sultan, +who had been warned in a dream that Abii Ya'qdb +would bring him some advantage, left the town in +solitary Bight during a season of great coldness, and +came to a village in its neighbourhood. In this village +there was a man of humble Elation who invited him +to ilay in his house, and on his consenting, made him +soup and killed a chicken and brought it to him with +barley bread. After his meal Ab\i Ya'qiib prayed +for a blessing on his ho51. Now this man had several +children, one of them being a girl who was shortly +to be conduced to her husband. It is a custom in +that country that a girl's father gives her an outfit, +the greater part of which consists in copper utensils. +These are regarded by them with great pride and are +made the subject of special stipulations in the marriage +contraft. Abd Ya’qiib therefore said to the man, +“ Have you any copper utensils ?” “Yes ” he replied, +“ I have juft bought some for my daughter’s outfit.” +Abii Ya‘qdb told him to bring them and when he had +brought them said “Now borrow all that you can +from your neighbours.” So he did so and laid them +59 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +all before him. He then lit fires round them, and +taking out a purse which he had containing an elixir, +threw some of it over the brass, and the whole array +was changed into gold. Leaving these in a locked +chamber, Abd Ya'qiib wrote to Nur ad-Din at +Damascus, telling him about them, and exhorting him +to build and endow a hospital for sick strangers and +to con^ruft religious houses on the highways. He +bade him also satisfy the owners of the copper vessels +and provide for the maintenance of the owner of the +house. The latter took the letter to the king, who +came to the village and removed the gold, after satis- +fying the owners of the vessels and the man himself. +He searched for Abii Ya‘qtib, but failing to find any +trace or news of him, returned to Damascus, where he +built the hospital which is known by his name and is +the fine^ in the world. + +I came next to the city of Atrabulus [Tripoli], one +of the principal towns in Syria. It lies two miles +inland, and has only recently been built. The old +town was right on the shore; the Chri^ians held it for +a time, and when it was recovered by Sultan Baybars^ +it was pulled down and this new town built. There +are some fine bath-houses in it, one of which is called +after Sindamiir, who was a former governor of the +city. Many stories are told of his severity to evil- +doers. Here is one of them. A woman complained +to him that one of the mamlfiks of his personal ^aff +had seized some milk that she was selling and had +drunk it. She had no evidence, but Sindamfir sent +for the inan. He was cut in two, and the milk came +out of his entrails. Similar Tories are told of al- +Atris at the time when he was governor, of Aydhab +under Sultan Qala’fin, and of Kebek, the Sultan of +Turkestan + +From Tripoli I went by way of Hisn al-Akrad +[^Krak des Chevaliers^ now Qal'at al-Hisnl and Hims + +6o + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +to Hamdh, another of the metropolitan cities of Syria. +It is surrounded by orchards and gardens, in the +middt of which there are waterwheels like revolving +globes. Thence to Ma'arra, which lies in a di^lrift +inhabited by some sort of ShiMtes, abominable people +who hate the Ten Companions and every person +whose name is ‘Ornar.*^ We went on from there to +Sarmfn, where brick soap is manufafhired and ex* +ported to Cairo and Damascus. Besides this they +manufafhire perfumed soap, for washing hands, and +colour it red and yellow. These people too arc rc- +vilers, who hate the Ten, and — an extraordinary thing +— never mention the word ten. When their brokers +are selling by auflion in the markets and come to ten, +they say “ nine and one.” One day a Turk happened +to be there, and hearing a broker call “ nine and one,” +he laid his club about his head saying ” Say ‘ ten,’ ” +whereupon quoth he “Ten with the club.” We +journeyed thence to Halab [Aleppo],^ which is the +seat of the Malik al^Umardy who is the principal +commander under the sultan of Egypt. He is a +jurist and has a reputation for fair-dealing, but he is +ftingy. + +I went on from there to Antdkiya [Antioch], by +way of Tizfn, a new town founded by the Turkmens.^ +Antioch was protcflcd formerly by a wall of unrivalled +solidity among the cities of Syria, but al-Malik az- +Zdhir [Baybars] pulled it down when he captured the +town.^’ It is very densely populated and possesses +beautiful buildings, with abundant trees and water. +Thence I visited the fortress of Baghrds,^ at the en- +trance to the land of Sfs [Little Armenia], that is, the +land of the Armenian infidels, and many other carries +and fortresses, several of which belong to a se6t called +Isma'ilites or Fiddwfs^ and may be entered by none +but members of the sevcen Tabiik and +al-‘Uld. The cuAom of the water-carriers is to camp +beside the spring, and they have tanks made of buffalo +hides, like great ci^erns, from which they water the +camels and hll the waterskins. Each amir or person +of rank has a special tank for the needs of his own +camels and personnel; the other people make private +agreements with the watercarriers to water their camels +and HU their waterskins for a fixed sum of money. + +From Tabiik the caravan travels with great speed +night and day, for fear of this desert. Halfway +through is the valley of al-Ukhaydir, which might +well be the valley of Hell (may God preserve us from +it).“ One year the pilgrims suffered terribly here +from the samoom-wind; the water-supplies dried up +and the price of a single drink rose to a thousand +dinars, but both seller and buyer perished. Their +^lory is written on a rock in the valley. Five days +after leaving Tabdk they reach the well of al-Hijr, +which has an abundance of water, but not a soul +draws water there, however violent his thirst, following +the example of the Prophet, who passed it on his +expedition to Tabdk and drove on his camel, giving +orders that none should drink of its waters. Here, +in some hills of red rock, are the dwellings of Thamiid. +They are cut in the rock and have carved thresholds. +Anyone seeing them would take them to be of recent +con^lruftion. Their decayed bones are to be seen +73 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +inside these houses.®^ Al-‘Ula, a large and pleasant +village with palm-gardens and water-springs, lies half +a day’s journey or less from al-Hijr.®® The pilgrims +halt there four days to provision themselves and wash +their clothes. They leave behind them here any +surplus of provisions they may have, taking with them +nothing but what is ^triftly necessary. The people +of the village are very tru^worthy. The Chri^ian +merchants of Syria may come as far as this and no +further, and they trade in provisions and other goods +with the pilgrims here. On the third day after leaving +al-‘Ula the caravan halts in the outskirts of the holy +city of Madina. + +That same evening we entered the holy sanftuary +and reached the illu^rious mosque, halting in saluta- +tion at the Gate of Peace; then we prayed in the +illu^rious “ garden ” between the tomb of the Prophet +and the noble pulpit, and reverently touched the +fragment that remains of the palm-trunk again^ which +the Prophet ilood when he preached. Having paid +our meed of salutation to the lord of men from firil +to la^, the intercessor for sinners, the Prophet of +Mecca, Muhammad, as well as to his two companions +who share his grave, Abd Bakr and ‘Omar, we returned +to our camp, rejoicing at this great favour bestowed +upon us, praising God for our having reached the +former abodes and the magnificent sanftuaries of His +holy Prophet, and praying Him to grant that this +visit should not be our la^, and that we might be of +those whose pilgrimage is accepted. On this journey +our ^ay at Madina la^ed four days. We used to +spend every night in the illuftrious mosque, where the +people, after forming circles in the courtyard and +lighting large numbers of candles, would pass the +time either in reciting the Koran from volumes set +on re^^s in front of them, or in intoning litanies, or +in visiting the sandluaries of the holy tomb. + +74 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +We then set out from Madfna towards Mecca, and +halted near the mosque of Dhu’I-Hulayfa, five miles +away. It was at this point that the Prophet assumed +the pilgrim garb ana obligations, and here too I +divefted myself of my tailored clothes, bathed, and +putting on the pilgrim's garment I prayed and dedi- +cated myself to the pilgrimage. Our fourth halt from +here was at Badr, where God aided His Prophet and +performed His promise.*® It is a village containing +a series of palm-gardens and a bubbling spring with +a ilream flowing from it. Our way lay thence through +a frightful desert called the Vale of Bazwd for three +days to the valley of Rdbigh, where the rainwater +forms pools which lie ^agnant for a long time. From +this point (which is juil before Juhfa) the pilgrims +from Egypt and Northwe^ Africa put on the pilgrim +garment. Three days after leaving Rdbigh we reached +the pool of Khulays, which lies in a plain and has +many palm-gardens. The Badawin of that neigh- +bourhood hold a market there, to which they bring +sheep, fruits, and condiments. Thence we travelled +through ‘Usfdn to the Bottom of Marr,®^ a fertile +valley with numerous palms and a spring supplying +a ^ream from which the di^lrift is irrigated. From +this valley fruit and vegetables are transported to +Mecca. ^ We set out at night from this blessed +valley, with hearts full of joy at reaching the goal of +our hopes, and in the morning arrived at the City of +Surety, Mecca (may God ennoble her 1), where we +immediately entered the holy sandtuary and began the +rites of pilgrimage.®* + +The inhabitants of Mecca are di^linguished by many +excellent and noble aftivities and qualities, by their +beneficence to the humble and weak, and by their +kindness to strangers. When any of them makes a +feaft, he begins by giving food to the religious devotees +who are poor and without resources, inviting them +75 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +firft with kindness and delicacy. The majority ol +these unfortunates are to be found by the public bake- +houses, and when anyone has his bread baked and takes +it away to his house, they follow him and he gives +each one of them some share of it, sending away none +disappointed. Even if he has but a single loaf, he +gives away a third or a half of it, cheerfully and without +any grudgingness. Another good habit of theirs is +this. The orphan children sit in the bazaar, each +with two baskets, one large and one small. When one +of the townspeople comes to the bazaar and buys +cereals, meat and vegetables, he hands them to one +of these boys, who puts the cereals in one basket and +the meat and vegetables in the other and takes them +to the man’s house, so that his meal may be prepared. +Meanwhile the man goes about his devotions and his +business. There is no in^ance of any of the boys +having ever abused their tru^ in this matter, and they +are given a fixed fee of a few coppers. The Meccans +are very elegant and clean in their dress, and mo^ +of them wear white garments, which you always see +fresh and snowy. They use a great deal of perfume +and kohl and make free use of toothpicks of green +arak-wood. The Meccan women are extraordinarily +beautiful and very pious and modest. They too make +great use of perfumes to such a degree that they will +spend the night hungry in order to buy perfumes +with the price of their food. They visit the mosque +every Thursday night, wearing their fine^ apparel; +and the whole sanftuary is saturated with the smell +of their perfume. When one of these women goes +away the odour of the perfume clings to the place after +she has gone. + +Among the personages who were living in religious +retirement at Mecca was a pious and ascetic doctor +who had a long-handing friendship with my father, +and used to hay with us when he came to our town of + +76 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +Tangier. In the diydmc he taught at the Muzaf- +fariya college, but at night he retired to his dwelling +in the convent of RabC. This convent is one of the +fineil in Mecca; it has in its precindls a well of sweet +water which has no equal in Mecca, and its inhabitants +are all men of great piety. It is highly venerated by +the people of the Hijdz, who bring votive offerinfjs to +it, and the people of Td’if supply it with fruit. 1 heir +cudlom is that all those who possess a palm garden, or +orchard of vines, peaches or figs, give the alms-tithe +from its produce to this convent, and fetch it on their +own camels. It is two days* journey from Td'if to +Mecca. If any person fails to do this, his crop is +diminished and dcarth-dlricken in the following year. +One day the retainers of the governor of Mecca came +to this convent, led in the governor’s horses, and +watered them at the well mentioned above. After +the horses had been taken back to their diables, they +were seized with colic and threw themselves to the +ground, beating it with their heads and legs. On +he-aring of this the governor went in person to the +gate of the convent and after apologizing to the poor +recluses there, took one of them back with him. This +man rubbed the beadls* bellies with his hand, when +they expelled all the water that they had drunk, and +were cured. After that the retainers never presented +themselves at the convent except for good purposes. + + +77 + + + +CHAPTER II + + +On the 17th of November I left Mecca with the +commander of the ‘Iraq caravan, who hired for me +at his own expense the half of a camel-litter as far +as Baghdad, and took me under his protection. After +the farewell ceremony of circumambulation [of the +Ka‘ba] we moved out to the Bottom of Marr with +an innumerable ho^ of pilgrims from ‘Iraq, Khurasan, +Ears and other eastern lands, so many that the earth +surged with them like the sea and their march resembled +the movement of a high-piled cloud. Any person +who left the caravan for a moment and had no mark +to guide him to his place could not find it again +because of the multitude of people. With this +caravan there were many draught-camels for supplying +the poorer pilgrims with water, and other camels to +carry the provisions issued as alms and the medicines, +potions, and sugar required for any who fell ill. When- +ever the caravan halted food was cooked in great brass +cauldrons, and from these the needs of the poorer +pilgrims and those who had no provisions were supplied. +A number of spare camels accompanied it to carry +those who were unable to walk. All those measures +were due to the benefaClions and generosity of the +sultan [of ‘Iraq] Abfi Sa‘id. Besides this the caravan +included busy bazaars and many commodities and all +sorts of food and fruit. They used to march during +the night and light torches in front of the files of camels +and litters, so that you saw the country gleaming with +light and the darkness turned into day. + +We returned through Khulays and Badr to Madina, +and were privileged to visit once more the [tomb of + +78 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +the] Prophet. We stayed in Madina for six days, +and having provided ourselves there with water for +a three-nights’ journey, set out and halted on the third +night at Wddi’l-Anis, where we drew supplies of water +from underground water-beds. They dig down into +the ground for them and procure sweet running water. +On leaving Wddi’l-Ards we entered the land of Najd, +which is a level ilretch of country extending as far as +eye can see, and we inhaled its fine scented air. After +four marches we halted at a waterpoint called al- +‘Usayla, then resumed our march and halted at a +waterpoint called an-Naqira, where there are the +remains of watertanks like vadf reservoirs. Thence +we journeyed to a waterpoint known as al-Qdrdra, +which consi^s of tanks filled with rainwater. These +are some of the tanks which were con^rufted by +Zubayda, the daughter of Ja’far. Every tank, water- +basin, and well on this road between Mecca and +Baghdad is a noble monument to her memo^ — may +God give her richeA reward ! This locality is in the +centre of the di^lrift of Najd; it is spacious, with fine +healthy air, excellent soil, and a temperate climate at +all seasons of the year. We went on from aI-Q4nira +and halted at al-Hdjir, where there are watertanks +which often dry up, so that temporary wells muft be +dug in order to procure water. We journeyed on and +halted at Samira, which is a patch of low-lying country +on a plain, where there is a kind of fortified enceinte +which is inhabited. It has plenty of water in wells, +but brackish. The Badawin of that diSlrift come there +with sheep, melted butter, and milk, which they aell +to the pilgrims for pieces of coarse cotton doth. That +is the only thing they will take in exchange. We set +out again and halted at the “Hill with the Hole.” +This hill lies in a traft of desert land, and has at the +top of it a hole through which the wind whiiUes. +We went on from there to Wddi’l-Kunish, which has +79 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +no water, and after a night march came in the morning +to the caftle of Fayd.^ + +Fayd is a large walled and fortified enceinte on a +level plain, with a suburb inhabited by Arabs, who +make a living by trading with the pilgrims. On their +journey to Mecca the pilgrims leave a portion of their +provisions here, and pick them up again on their return +journey.^ Fayd lies halfway between Mecca and +Bighddd and is twelve days’ journey from Kdfa, by +an easy road furnished with supplies of water in tanks. +The pilgrims are accustomed to enter this place +armed and in warlike array, in order to frighten the +Arabs who collect there and to cut short their greedy +designs on the caravan. We met there the two amirs +of the Arabs, Fayyadh and Hiyar, sons of the amir +Muhannd b. ‘Isa, accompanied by an innumerable +troop of Arab horsemen and foot-soldiers. They +showed great zeal for the safety of the pilgrims and their +encampments. The Arabs brought camels and sheep, +and the pilgrims bought from them what they could. + +We resumed our journey through al-Ajfur, Zanid, +and other halting-places to the defile known as “ Devil’s +Pass.” We encamped below it [for the night] and +traversed it the next day. This is the only rough +and difficult dlretch on the whole road, and even it is +neither difficult nor long. Our next halt was at a +place called Wdqisa, where there is a large cadlle and +watertanks. It is inhabited by Arabs, and is the la^t +watering point on this road; from there on to Kdfa +there is no other watering place of any note except +breams deriving from the Euphrates. Many of the +people of Kdfa come out to Wdqisa to meet the +pilgrims, bringing flour, bread, dates and fruit, and +everybody exchanges greetings with- everybody else. +Our next halts were at a place called Lawza, where +there is y large tank of water; then a place called +al-Masajid [The Mosques], where there are three + +8o + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTCTA + +tanks; and after that at a place called Mandrat al- +qurdn [The Minaret of the Horns], which is a tower +landing in a desert locality, conspicuous for its height, +and decorated at the top with horns of gazelles, but +there arc no dwellings near it. We halted again in +a fertile valley called al-‘Udhayb, and afterwards at +al-Qddisiya, where the famous battle was fought +againdl the Persians, in which God manifcdlcd the +triumph of the Religion of Islam. There arc palm- +gardens and a watercourse from the Euphrates there,® +We went on from there and alighted in the town of +Mash-had ‘All at Najaf. It is a fine town, situated +in a wide rocky plain— one of the fincdl, mo^t populous, +and mo£l substantially built cities in ‘Irdq. It has +beautiful clean bazaars. We entered by the [outer] +Bdb al-Hadra, and found ourselves HrSf in the market +of the greengrocers, cooks, and butchers, then in the +fruit market, then the tailors* bazaar and the Qayiariya^ +then the perfumers* bazaar, after which wc came to +the pnner] Bdb al-Hadra, where there is the tomb, +which they s:^ is the tomb of ‘AH.^ One goes through +the Bdb al-Hadra into a vaSt hospice, by which one +gains access to the gateway of the shrine, where there +are chamberlains, keepers of regi^ers and eunuchs. +As a visitor to the tomb approaches, one or all of them +rise to meet him according to his rank, and they halt +with him at the threshold. They then ask permission +for him to enter saying “ By your leave, O Commander +of the Faithful, this feeble creature asks permission +to enter the sublime reeling-place,” and command him +to kiss the threshold, which is of silver, as also are the +lintels. After this he enters the shrine, the floor of +which is covered with carpets of silk and other materials. +Inside it are candelabra of gold and silver, large and +small. In the centre is a square platform about a +man*s height, covered with wood completely hidden +under arti^ically carved plaques of gold fa^ened with +8i o + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +silver nails. On this are three tombs, which they +declare are the graves of Adam, Noah, and ‘All. +Between the tombs are dishes of silver and gold, con- +taining rose-water, musk, and other perfumes; the +visitor dips his hand in these and anoints his face with +the perfume for a blessing. The shrine has another +doorway, also with a silver threshold and hangings, +of coloured silk, which opens into a mosque. The +inhabitants of the town are all Shi'ites, and at this +mausoleum many miracles are performed, which they +regard as substantiating its claim to be the tomb of +‘All. One of these miracles is that on the eve of the +27th Rajab® cripples from the two ‘Iraqs, Khurasan, +Persia and Anatolia, numbering about thirty or forty +in all, are brought here and placed on the holy tomb. +Those present await their arising and pass the time in +prayer, or reciting litanies, or reading the Koran or +contemplating the tomb. When the night is half or +two-thirds over or so, they all rise completely cured, +saying “There is no God but God; Muhammad is +the Prophet of God and ‘All is the Friend of God.” +This faft is widely known among them, and I heard +of it from trustworthy authorities, but I was not +adtually present on any such night. I saw however +three cripples in the GueSts’ College and asked them +about themselves, and they told me that they had' +missed the night and were waiting for it in a future +year. This town pays no taxes or dues and has no +governor, but is under the sole control of the Naqib +al-Ashraf [Keeper of the Register of the descendants +of the Prophet]. Its people are traders of great +enterprise, brave and generous and excellent company +on a journey, but they are fanatical about ‘AH. If +any of them suifers from illness in the head, hand, +foot, or other part of the body, he makes a model of +the member in gold or silver and brings it to the +sanctuary. The treasury of the sanctuary is consider- + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +able and contains innumerable riches. The Naqlb +al-Ashrdf holds a high position at the court. When +he travels he has the same retinue and ^atus as the +principal military officers, with banners and kettle- +drums. Military music is played at his gate every +evening and morning. Before the present holder of +the office it was held jointly by a number of persons, +who took turns of duty as governor. + +One of these personages was the Sharif Abii Ghurra. +In his youth he was given over to devotions and ^udy, +but after his appointment as Naqib al-Ashrdf he was +overcome by the world, gave up his ascetic habits, +and admini^ered his finances corruptly. The matter +was brought before the sultan, and Abii Ghurra, on +hearing of this, went to Khurdsdn and thence made +for India. After crossing the Indus, he had his drums +beaten and his trumpets blown, and thereby terrified +the villagers, who, imagining that the Tatars had come +to raid their country, fled to the city of Uja [Uch] +and informed its governor of what they had heard. +He rode out with his troops and prepared for battle, +when the scouts whom he had sent out saw only about +ten 'horsemen and a number of men on foot and +merchants who had accompanied the Sharif, carrying +banners and kettledrums. They asked them what they +were doing and received the reply that the Sharif, +the Naqib of *Iriq, had come on a mission to the +king of India. The scouts returned with the news +to the governor, who thought that the Sharif muft +be a man of little sense to raise banners and beat +drums outside his own country. The Sharif ftayed +for some time at Uja, and every morning and evening +he had the drums beaten at the door of his house, for +that used to give him much gratification. It is said +that when the drums were beaten before him in Trdq, +as the drummer finished beating he would say to him +“ One more roll, drummer,” until these words Stuck + +83 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +to him as a nickname. The governor of Oja wrote +to the king of India about the Sharif and his drum- +beating, both on his journey and before his house +morning and evening, as well as flying banners. Now +the cuftom in India is that no person is entitled to +use banners and drums except by special privilege from +the king, and even then only while travelling. At +re^ no drums are beaten except before the king’s +house alone. In Egypt, Syria and ‘Iraq, on the other +hand, drums are beaten before the houses of the mili- +tary governors. The king was therefore displeased +and annoyed at the Sharif’s aftion. Now it happened +that as the Sharif approached the capital, with his +drums beating as usual, suddenly he met the sultan, +with his cortege on his way to meet the amir of Sind. +The Sharif went forward to the sultan to greet him, +and the sultan, after asking how he was and why he +had come and hearing his answers, went on to meet +the amir, and returned to the capital, without paying +the slightest attention to the Sharif or giving orders +for his lodging or anything else. He was then on +the point of setting out for Dawlat Abad, and before +going he sent the Sharif 500 dinars (which equal +125 of our Moroccan dinars) and said to the mes- +senger : “ Tell him that if he wants to go back to his +country, this is his travelling provision, and if he wants +to come with us it is for his expenses on the journey, +but if he prefers to ^ay in the capital it is for his +expenses until we return.” The Sharif was vexed at +this for he was desirous that the sultan should make +as rich presents to him as he usually did to his equals. +He chose to travel with the sultan and attached +himself to the wazir, who came to regard him with +affeftion, and so used his influence with the king that +he formed a high opinion of him, and assigned him +two villages in the di^ria of Dawlat Abad, with the +order to reside in them. For eight years the Sharif + + + + +SKETQl MAP OI PERSIA TO ILLUSERATI IHN lUTlOMS IKAM.LS + + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +ilaycd there, colle^ing the revenue of these two +villages, and amassed considerable wealth. There- +upon he wanted to leave the country but could not, +since those who are in the king’s service are not allowed +to leave without his permission, and he is much +attached to strangers and rarely gives any of them +leave. The SharTf tried to escape by the coaft road, +but was turned back; then he went to the capital and +by the wazfr’s good offices received the sultan’s per- +mission to leave India, together with a gift of 10,000 +Indian dinars. The money was given him in a sack, +and he used to sleep on it, out of his love of money, +and fear leit some of it should get to any of his com- +panions. As a result of sleeping on it he developed +a pain in his side as he was juA about to ^art on his +journey, and eventually he died twenty days after +receiving the sack. He bequeathed the money to +the Sharif Hasan al-Jaidnf, who diAributed the whole +amount in alms to the Shl’ites living in Delhi. The +Indians do not sequeArate inheritances for the treasury, +and do not interfere with the property of Arangers +nor even make enquiries about it, however much it +may be. In the same way, the negroes never interfere +with the property of a white man, but it is left in +charge of the principal members of his company until +the rightful heir comes to claim it. + +After our visit to the tomb of the Caliph *AH, the +caravan went on to Baghddd, but I set out for Basra, +in the company of a large troop of the Arab inhabitants +of that count^. They are exceedingly brave and it +is impossible to travel in those regions except in their +company. Our way lay along the Euphrates by the +place called al-‘Idhdr, which is a waterlogged jungle +of reeds, inhabited by Arabs noted for their predatory +habits. They are brigands and profess adhesion to +the Shi‘ite seA. They attacked a party of darwlshes +behind us and Aripped them of everything down to + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +their shoes and wooden bowls. They have fortified +positions in this jungle and defend themselves in +these again^ all attacks. Three days’ march through +this di^triiS: brought us to the town of 'Wasit. Its +inhabitants are among the be^ people in ‘Iraq — +indeed, the very be^ of them without qualification. +All the ‘Iraqis who wish to learn how to recite the +Koran come here, and our caravan contained a number +of ^udents who had come for that purpose. As the +caravan ^ayed here three days, I had an opportunity +of visiting the grave of ar-Rifa‘i, which is at a village +called Umm ‘Ubayda, one day’s journey from there. +I reached the establishment at noon the next day and +found it to be an enormous mona^ery, containing +thousands of darwishes.® After the mid-afternoon +prayer drums and kettledrums were beaten and the +darwishes began to dance. After this they prayed +the sunset prayer and brought in the meal, consi^ing +of rice-bread, fish, milk and dates. After the night +prayer they began to recite their litany. A number +of loads of wood had been brought in and kindled +into a flame, and they went into the fire dancing; +some of them rolled in it and others ate it in their +mouths until they had extinguished it entirely. This +is the peculiar cu^om of the Ahmadf darwfshes. Some +of them take large snakes and bite their heads with +their teeth until they bite them clean through. + +After visiting ar-Rifa‘f’s tomb I returned to Wasit, +and found that the caravan had already Parted, but +overtook them on the way, and accompanied them +to Basra. As we approached the city I had remarked +at a di^ance of some two miles from it a lofty building +resembling a fortress. I asked about it and was told +that it was the mosque of ‘AH. Basra was in former +times a city so va^ that this mosque ^ood in the +centre of the town, whereas now it is two miles outside +it. Two miles beyond it again is the old wall that + +86 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +encirdcd'the town, so that It ^ands midway bct^vccn +the old wall and the present city.^ Basra is one of +the metropolitan cities of Triq, and no place on earth +excels it m quantity of palm-groves. The current +price of dates in its market is fourteen pounds to an +4r4ql dirham, which is one-third of a nuqra.* The +qddi sent me a hamper of dates that a man could +scarcely carry; I sold them and received nine dirhams, +and three of those were taken by the porter for carrying +the basket from the house to the market. The in- +habitants of Basra possess many excellent qualities; +they are affable to strangers and give them their due, +so that no dlran^cr ever feels lonely amongdl them. +They hold the hriday service in the mosque of *Alf +mentioned above, but for the rcA of the week it is +closed. I was present once at the Friday service in +this mosque and when the preacher rose to deliver +his discourse he committco many gross errors of +grammar.^ In aAonishment at this I spoke of it to +the qddf and this is what he said to me: In this town +there is not a man left who knows anything of the +science of grammar.” Here Is a lesson for those who +will rcflcdl on it — Magnified be He who changes all +things I This Basra, in whose people the mailcry of +grammar reached its height, from whose soil sprang +Its Crunk and its branches, among^ whose inhabitants +is numbered the leader whose primacy is undisputed — +the preacher in this town cannot deliver a discourse +without breaking its rules 1 + +At Basra I embarked in a sumbuq-, that is a small +boat, for Ubulla,'® which lies ten miles diflant. One +travels between a constant succession of orchards and +palm-groves both to right and left, with merchants +sitting in the shade of the trees selling bread, fish, +dates, milk and fruit. Ubulla was formerly a large +town, frequented by merchants from India and Fdrs, +but it fell into decay and is now a village. Here we + +87 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +embarked after sunset on a small ship belonging to +a man from Ubulla and in the morning rpched +‘Abbadan, a large village on a salt plain with no +cultivation. I was told that there was at ‘Abbddan +a devotee of great merit, who lived in complete soli- +tude. He used to come down to the shore once a +month and catch enough fish for his month’s pro- +visions and then disappear again. I made it my +business to seek him out, and found him praying in +a ruined mosque. When he had finished praying he +took my hand and said “ May God grant you your +desire in this world and the next.” I have indeed — +praise be to God — attained my desire in this world, +which was to travel through the earth, and I have +attained therein what none other has attained to my +knowledge. The world to come remains, but my +hope is ^rong in the mercy and clemency of God. +My companions afterwards went in search of this +devotee, but they could get no news of him. That +evening one of the darwishes belonging to the religious +house at which we had put up met him, and he gave +him a fresh fish saying Take this to the gue^ who +came today.” So the darwish said to us as he came +in “ Which of you saw the Shaykh today ?” I replied +“ I saw him,” and he said “ He says to you ‘ This is +your hospitality gift.’ ” I thanked God for that, then +the darwish cooked the fish for us and we all ate of +it. I have never ta^ed better fish. For a moment +I entertained the idea of spending the re^l of my life +in the service of this Shaykh, but my spirit, tenacious +of its purpose, dissuaded me. + +We sailed thereafter for Majdl. I made it a habit +on my journey never, so far as possible, to cover a +second time any road that I had once travelled. I +was aiming to reach Baghdad, and a man at Basra +advised me to travel to the country of the Lfirs, thence +to Iraq al- Ajam and thence to ‘Irdq al-‘Arab, and I + +88 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +followed his counsel. Four days later we reached +a small place on the Persian Gulf, and thence +I hired a mount from some grain-merchants. After +travelling for three nights across open country inhabited +by nomadic Kurds we reached Rimiz [Rdm-hurmuzJ, +a fine city with fruit trees and rivers, where I dlayed +only one night before continuing our journey for three +nights more across a plain inhabited by Kurds. At +the end of each dtage there was a hospice, at which +every traveller was supplied with bread, meat, and +sweetmeats. Thereafter I came to the city of Tudtar +[Shushtar] which is situated at the edge of the plain +and the beginning of the mountains. I dlayed there +sixteen days at the madrasa of the Shaykh Sharaf +ad-Din Miisd, one of the handsome^ and modi upright +of men. He preaches every Friday after the midday +service, and when I heard him, all the preachers whom +I had heard previously in the Hijiz, Syria and Egypt +sank in my eslimation, nor have I ever met his equal. +One day I was present with him at a gathering of +notables, theologians and darwlshes in an orchard on +the river-bank. After he had served them all with +food, he delivered a discourse with solemnity and +dignity. When he finished, bits of paper were thrown +to him from all sides, for it is a cudlom of the Persians +to jot down questions on scraps of paper and throw +them to the preacher, who answers them. The +shaykh collefted them all and began to answer them +one after the other in the modi remarkable and elegant +manner. + +From Tudlar we travelled three nights through +lofty mountains, halting at a hospice at each dlation, +and came to the town or Idhaj, also called Mdl al-Ami'r, +the capital of the sultan Atibeg (which is a title +common to all the rulers of that country}.^ I wished +to see the sultan, but that was not easiW come by, as +he goes out only on Fridays because or his addition +89 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +to wine. Some days later the sultan sent me an +invitation to visit him. I went with the messenger +to the gate called the Cypress Grate, and we mounted +a long staircase, finally reaching a room, which was +unfurnished because they were in mourning for the +sultan’s son. The sultan was sitting on a cushion, +with two covered goblets in front of him, one of gold +and the other of silver. A green rug was spread for +me near him and I sat down on this. No one else +was in the room but his chamberlain and one of his +boon-companions. The sultan asked me about niyself +and my country, the sultan of Egypt, and the Hijaz, +and I answered all his questions. At this juncture +a noted do£lor of the law came in, and as the sultan +ilarted praising him I began to see that he was +intoxicated. Afterwards he said to me in Arabic, +which he spoke well, “ Speak.” I said to him “ If +you will li^en to me, I say to you ‘ You are a son +of a sultan noted for piety and uprightness, and there +is nothing to be brought again^ you as a ruler but +this,’ ” and I pointed to the goblets. He was over- +come with confusion at what I said, and sat silent. +I wished to go, but he bade me sit down and said to +me, “To meet with men like you is a mercy.” Then +I saw him reeling and on the point of falling asleep, +so I withdrew. I could not find my sandals, but the +dodfor I have mentioned went up and found them in +the room and brought them to me. His kindness +ashamed me and I made my excuses, but thereupon he +kissed my sandals and put them on his head saying “ God +bless you. What you said to the sultan none could say +but you. I hope this will make an impression on him.” + +A few days later I left Idhaj, and the sultan sent +me a number of dinars [as a farewell gift] with a like +sum for my companions. For ten days we continued +to travel in the territories of this sultan amiddl high +mountains, halting every night at a madrasa, where + +90 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +each traveller was supplied with food for himself and +forage for his beail. Some of the madrasas arc in +desolate localities, but all their requirements are trans- +ported to them. One-third of the revenues of the +Aatc is devoted to the maintenance of these hospices +and madrasas. We travelled on across a well-watered +plain belonging to the province of the city of Isfahln, +passing througn the towns of Ushturkin and Finiain. +On reaching the latter place we found its inhabiunts +outside the town escorting a funeral. They had +torches lit behind and in front of the bier, and they +followed it up with fifes and singers, singing all sorts +of merry songs. We were amazed at their conduA. +The next day our way lay through orchards and +ftreams and fine villages, with very many pigeon +towers, and in the afternoon we reached Isfahin or +Ispahdn, in Trig al-‘Ajam. Isfahin is one of the +largeil and faireit of cities, but the greater part of it +is ndw in ruins, as a result of the feud between Sunnis +and Shi'ites, which is ftill raging there. It is rich +in fruits, among its produfU being apricots of un- +equalled quality with sweet almonds in their kernels, +quinces whose sweetness and size cannot be paralleled, +splendid grapes, and wonderful melons. Its people +are goodlooking, with clear while skins tingea with +red, exceedingly brave, generous, and always trying +to outdo one another in procuring luxurious viands. +Many curious Tories are told of this laA trait in them. +The members of each trade form corporations, as +also do the leading men who arc not engaged in trade, +and the young unmarried men; these corporations +then engage in mutual rivalry, inviting one another +to banquets, in the preparations for which they display +all their resources. I was told that one corporation +invited another and cooked its viands with lighted +candles, then the guefls returned the invitation and +cooked their viands with silk. + +9« + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +We then set out from Isfahan on purpose to visit +the Shaykh Majd ad-Din at Shiraz, which is ten days’ +journey from there. After six days’ travelling we +reached Yazdikhwd^, outside of which there is a +convent where travellers dlay. It has an iron gate +and is extremely well fortified; inside it are shops at +which the travellers can buy all that they need. Here +they make the cheese called Yazdikhwadli, which is +unequalled for goodness; each cheese weighs from +two to four ounces. Thence we travelled across a +dlretch of open country inhabited by Turks, and +reached Shiraz, a densely populated town, well built +and admirably planned. Each trade has its own +bazaar. Its inhabitants are handsome and clean in +their dress. In the whole Eadt there is no city that +approaches Damascus in beauty of bazaars, orchards +and rivers, and in the handsome figures of its inhabi- +tants, but Shiraz. It is on a plain surrounded by +orchards on all sides and intersefted by/ivers, one of +which is the river known as Rukn Abad,^® whose +water is sweet, very cold in summer and warm in +winter. The people of Shiraz are pious and upright, +especially the women, who have a Grange cu^om. +Every Monday, Thursday, and Friday they meet in +the principal mosque to li^en to the preacher, one or +two thousand of them, carrying fans with which they +fan themselves on account of the great heat. I have +never seen in any land so great an assembly of +women. + +On entering Shiraz I had but one desire, which +was to seek out the illu^rious Shaykh Majd ad-Din +Isma‘il, the marvel of the age. As I reached his +dwelling he was going out to the afternoon prayer; +I saluted him and he embraced me and took my hand +until he came to his prayer mat, when he signed me +to pray beside him. After this, the notables of the +town came forward to salute him, as is their cu^om + +92 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +morning and evening, then he asked me about my +jotirney and the lands I had visited, and gave orders +to lodge me in- his madrasa. The Shaykh Majd +ad-Dln is held in the highest e^leem by the king +of Trdq, for reasons which the following dlory wiU +show. The pate] king of Trdq, Sultan Muhammad +Khuddbanda,'* had as a companion, while he was yet +an infidel, a Shi'ite theologian, and when the sultan +embraced Isldm together with the Tatars, he showed +the greatedl respeft for this man, who persuaded him +to establish the Shi'ite faith throughout his dominions. +At Baghddd, Shirdz, and Isfahdn the population pre- +vented the execution of the order, whereupon the king +ordered the qddls of these three towns to be brought. +The firdl of them to be brought was the qddf Majd +ad-Dfn of Shlrdz. The sultan was then at a place +called Qardbdgh,“ which was his summer residence, +and when the qddl arrived, he ordered him to be +thrown to the do^s which he had there. These are +enormous dogs with chains on their necks, trained to +eat men. when anyone is brought to be delivered +to the dogs, he is placed at liberty and without chains +in a wide plain; the dogs are then loosed on him and +he flees, but finds no refuge; they overtake him and +tear him to pieces and eat his flesh. But when the +dogs were loosed on the qadl Majd ad-Dln, they +would not attack him but wagged their tails before +him in the friendlie^l manner. The sultan, on hearing +of this, showed the greater reverence and respeft to +him, and _ renounced the doctrines of the Shi'ites. +He made va^l presents to the qddl, including a hundred +of the villages of Jamkdn, which is the be^l di^lrift +m Shlrdz. I met the qddl again on my return from +India in 1347. He was then too weak to walk, but +he recognized me and rose to embrace me. I visited +him one day and found the sultan of Shfrdz sitting in +front of him, holding his own ear. This is the height +93 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +of good manners among^ them, and all the people +do so when they sit in the presence of the king. + +The sultan of Shiraz at the time of my visit was +Abii Ishdq,^® one of the be^ of sultans, handsome +and well-condufted, of generous charadler, humble, +but powerful and the 'ruler of a great kingdom. He +has an army of more than fifty thousand men, Turks +and Persians, but he does not tru^ the people of +Shiraz. He will not take them into his service, and +allows none of them to carry arms, because they are +very brave and apt to rise againil their rulers. He +made himself ma^er of Shiraz, as well as of Fdrs and +Isfahan, after the death of Sultan Abii Sa‘id [in I335]> +when every amir seized what he possessed. At one +time Sultan Abii Ishaq desired to build a palace +like the Aywan Kisra,^'^ and ordered the inhabitants +of Shiraz to undertake the digging of its foundations. +They set to work on this, each corporation of artisans +rivalling the other, and carried their rivalry to such +lengths that they made baskets of leather to carry the +earth and covered them with embroidered silk. They +did the same with the donkey panniers. Some of +them made tools of silver, and lit numerous candles. +When they went to dig they put on their be^l garments, +with girdles of silk, and the sultan watched their work +from a balcony. When the foundations were dug the +inhabitants were freed from service, and paid artisans +took their place. Several thousands of them were +colledled for this work, and I heard from the governor +of the town that the greater part of its taxes were spent +on it. Abii Ishaq wished to be compared to the king +of India for the magnificence of his gifts, but “ How +distant are the Pleiads from the clod!” The largest +gift of Abii Ishaq that I ever heard tell of was that +he gave an ambassador from the king of Herat seventy +thousand’ dinars, whereas the king of India never +ceases to give many times 'more than that to an in- + +94 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +numerable number of persons. One instance may be +cited. + +The amir Bakht one day felt indisposed at the +capital of the king of India, who went to visit him. +As the king entered he wished to rise, but the king +swore that he mu^ not come down from his bed. +A divan was brought on which the sultan sat down. +He then called for gold and a balance, and when +these were brought he ordered the sick man to sit +on one of the trays. The amir said, O mailer of +the world, had I known that you would do this, I +should have put on many clothes.” The sultan +replied, “Put on now all the clothes that you have.” +So he put on the clothes that he wore in the cold +weather, which were padded with cotton-wool, and +sat on one of the trays of the balance. The other +was filled with gold until it tipped down, when the +king said “ Take this, and give it in alms for your +recovery,” and left him. + +Shlrdz contains many sanftuaries which are visited +and venerated by its inhabitants. Among them is +the tomb of the imdm ‘AbdalUh ibn Khafif, who is +known there simply as “ The Shaykh.” He occupies +a high place among the saints, and the following ilory +is told of him. One day he went to the mountain +of Sarandlb [Adam’s Peak] in the island of Ceylon +accompanied by about thirty darwlshes. They were +overcome by hunger on the way, in an uninhabited +locality, and loft their bearings. They asked the +shaykh to allow them to seize one of the small elephants, +of which there arc a very large number in that place, +and which are transported thence to the king of India. +The shaykh forbade them, but their hunger got the +better or them and they disobeyed him and, seizing +a small elephant, killed and ate it. The shaykh +however refused to eat it. That night, as they slept, +the elephants gathered from all quarters and came + +95 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +upon them, smelling each one of them and killing +him until they had made an end of them all. They +smelled the sh^kh too but offered no violence to him; +one of them lifted him with its trunk, put him on its +back, and brought him to the inhabited di^rift. +When the people of that part saw him, they marvelled +at him and came to out meet him and hear his ^oiy. +As it came near them, the elephant lifted him with its +trunk and placed him on the ground in full view of +them. + +I visited this island of Ceylon. Its people ^ill live +in idolatry [Buddhism], yet they show respefl for +Muslim darwfshes, lodge them in their houses, and +give them to eat, and they live in their houses amid^ +their wives and children. This is contrary to the +usage of the other Indian idolaters [Brahmans and +Hindus], who never make friends with Muslims, and +never give them to eat or to drink out of their vessels, +although at the same time they neither aft nor speak +offensively to them. We were compelled to have +some flesh cooked for us by some of them, and they +would bring it in their pots and sit at a diftance from +us. They would also serve us with rice, which is +their principal food, on banana leaves, and then go +away, and what we left over was eaten by dogs and birds. +If any small child, who had not reached the age of +reason, ate any of it, they would beat him and make +him eat cow dung, this being, as they say, the purifica- +tion for that aft. + +Among the sanftuaries outside Shfraz is the grave +of the pious shaykh known as as-Sa‘df,^® who was the +greateft poet of his time in the Persian language, and +sonietimes introduced Arabic verses into his com- +positions. There is a fine hospice which he built +in this place having a beautiful garden within it, close +by the source of the great river known as Rukn Abad. +The Shaykh [Sa‘df] had conftrufted some small cifterns + +96 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +in marble (here to wash clothes In. The citizens of +Shiriz go out to visit his tomb, and they cat from his +table cat food prepared at the convent] and wash +their dothes in the river. I did the same thing there +•~may God have mercy upon him! + +I left Shirdz to visit the tomb of the pious shaykh +Ab\^ Ishiq al>Kizardn( at Kizan^n, which lies two +days* journey [wc^] from Shiriz. This shaykh is +held in high honour by the inhabitants of India and +China. Travellers on the Sea of China, when the +wind turns againR them and they fear pirates, usually +make vows to Abd Ishiq, each one setting down in +writii^ what he has vowed. When they reach safety +the omeers of the convent go on board the ship, receive +the Ii£l, and take from each person the amount of his +vow. There is not a ship coming from India or China +but has thousands of dinars in it [vowed to the saint]. +Any mendicant who comes to beg alms of the shaykn +is given an order, sealed with the snaykh*s seal flampcd +fn red wax, to this cfTe^l: ** Let any person who nas +made a vow to the Shaykh Abd Ishici give thereof +to so>and>so so much,’* specifying a inousand or a +hundred, or more or less. When the mendicant finds +anyone who has made a vow, he takes from him the +sum named and writes a receipt for the amount on +the back of the order. + +From Kdzan^n we went by way of Zayddn to +Huwayza, and thence by a five days* march through +waterless desert to Kdfa.'® Though it was once the +abode of the Companions of the Prophet and of scholars +and theologians, and the capital of 'All, the Commander +of the Faithful, Kdfa has now fallen into ruins, as +a result of the attacks which it has suifered from the +nomad Arab brigands in the neighbourhood. The +town is unwalled. Its principal mosque is a magni* +ficent building with seven naves supported by great +pillars of immense height, made or carved Aones +97 » + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +placed one on top of the other, the inter^ices being +filled with molten lead. We resumed our journey and +halted for the night at Bi’r Mallaha [“ Salt Well ”], +which is a pretty town lying among^ palm gardens. +I encamped outside it, and would not enter the place, +because the inhabitants are fanatical Shi'ites. + +Next morning we went on and alighted at the city +of Hilla, which is a large town lying along the we^ern +bank of the Euphrates, with fine markets where both +natural produfts and manufadfured goods may be +had. At this place there is a great bridge fa^ened +upon a continuous row of boats from bank to bank, +the boats being held in place both fore and aft by +iron chains attached on either bank to a huge wooden +beam made fa^l ashore. The inhabitants of Hilla +are all Shi‘ites of the “ Twelvers ” seft, but they are +divided into two factions, known as the “ Kurds ” +and the “ Party of the Two Mosques,” between whom +there is con^ant factional ^rife and fighting. Near +the principal market in this town there is a mosque, +the door of which is covered with a silk curtain. They +call this the Sanctuary of the Ma^er of the Age.^ +Every evening before sunset, a hundred of the towns- +men, following their cu^om, go with arms and drawn +swords to the governor of the city and receive from +him a saddled and bridled horse or mule. With this +they go in procession, with drums beating and +trumpets and bugles blowing, fifty of them in front +of it and fifty behind, while others walk to right and +left, to the Sandluary of the Ma^er of the Age. They +halt at the door and call out “ In the Name of God, +O Master of the Age, in the Name of God, come forth! +Corruption is abroad- and inju^ice is rife! This is +the hour for thy advent, that by thee God may discover +the true from the false.” They continue to call out +thus, sounding their drums and bugles and trumpets, +until the hour of sunset prayer, for they hold that + +98 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +Muhammad, the son of aI«Hasan al- Askar/, entered +this mosque and disappeared from sight in it, and that +he will emerge from it, for he, in their view, is the +“ Expefted Imim.” + +We travelled thence to the town of Karbald, the +shrine of al-Husayn, the son of *AH.** The sur- +roundings of the tomb and the ceremonies of visitation +resemble those of the tomb of *AH at Najaf. In this +town too the inhabitants form two fa^ions between +whom there is conilant hghtlng, although they are all +Shi'ites and descended from the same family, and as +a result of their feuds the town is in ruins. + +Thence we travelled to Baghdid, the Abode of +Peace and Capital of Islim.^ Here there are two +bridges like that at Hllla, on which the people +promenade night and day, both men and women, +^e town has eleven cathedral mosques, eight on the +right bank and three on the left, together with very +many other mosaucs and madrasas, only the latter are +all in ruins. The baths at Baghdid are numerous +and excellently conflru£lcd, moR of them being +painted with pitch, which has the appearance of black +marble. This pitch is brought from a spring between +Kdfa and Basra, from which it flows continually. It +gathers at the sides of the spring like clay and is +shovelled up and brought to Baghdid. Each eilab- +lishment has a large number of private bathrooms, +every one of which has also a wash'^oasin in the corner, +with two taps supplying hot and cold water. Every +bather is given three towels, one to wear round his +waiR when he goes in, another to wear round his walR +when he comes out, and the third to dry himself with. +In no town other than Baghdid have I seen all this +elaborate arrangement, though some other towns +approach it in this respeft." The weAern part of +Baghdid was the earlicR to be built, but it is now for the +moA part in ruins. In spite of that there remain in +99 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +it ^ill thirteen quarters, each like a city in itself and +possessing two or three baths. The hospital (mari^tan) +is a va^ ruined edifice, of which only ve^iges remain. +The eaftern part has an abundance of bazaars, the +larged of which is called the Tuesday bazaar. On +this side there are no fruit trees, but all the fruit is +brought from the weftern side, where there are orchards +and gardens. + +My arrival at Baghddd coincided with a visit of the +sultan of the two ‘Iraqs and of Khurasan, the illus- +trious Abii Sa‘ld Bahadur Khdn,^"^ son of Sultan +Muhammad Khudabanda whose conversion we re- +lated above. He was an excellent and generous +king. He was ^ill a boy when he succeeded his +father, and the power was seized by the principal +amir, Jiiban, who left him nothing of sovereignty but +the name. This went on until one day his father's +wives complained to him of the insolence of Jfibdn’s +son Dimashq Khwaja, and the sultan had him arreted +and put to death. Jiibdn was then in Khurdsdn with +the army of the Tatars. They agreed to fight the +sultan, and marched againdl him, but when the two +forces met, the Tatars deserted to their sultan and +Jiibdn was left without support. He fled to the desert +of Siji^dn [Sidlan], and afterwards took refuge with +the king of Herdt, who betrayed him a few days later, +killed him and his youngedl son and sent their heads +to the sultan. When Abid Sa‘fd had become sole +master, he desired to marry Jfibdn's daughter, who +was called Baghddd Khdtiin, and was one of the mo^ +beautiful of women. She was married to Shaykh +Hasan, the same who became mailer of the kingdom +after the death of Abii Sa‘fd, and who was his cousin +by his father’s si^er. Shaykh Hasan divorced her +on Abu Sa id’s order, and she becanie his favourite +wife. Among the Turks and the Tatars their wives +hold a high position; when they issue an order they + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +say in it “ By order of the Sultan and the Khdtdns.” +Each khdtun possesses several towns and didtrifts +and vadl revenues, and when they travel with the sultan +they have a separate camp. After this had gone on +for some time the king married a woman called +Dilshdd, of whom he was very fond.“ He neglected +Baghddd Khdtdn, who became Jealous and poisoned +him with a kerchief. On his death his line became +extinff, and the amirs seized the provinces for them- +selves. When they learned that it was Baghddd +Khdtdn who had poisoned him, they decided to put +her to death. A Greek slave, called Khwdja Lu’lu’, +who was one of the principal amirs, came to her while +she was in her bath and beat her to death with his club. +Her body lay there for some days, covered only with +a piece of sacking. + +I left Baghddd with the mahalla^ of Sultan Ab\i +Sa*fd, on purpose to see the way in which the king’s +marches are condu^led, and travelled with it for ten +days, thereafter accompanying one of the amirs to the +town of Tabriz.” Wc reached the town after ten +days’ travelling, and encamped outside it in a place +called ash-Shdm. Here there is a fine hospice, where +travellers are supplied with food, consisting of bread, +meat, rice cooked in butter, and sweetmeats. The +next morning 1 entered the town and wc came to a +great bazaar, called the Ghdzdn bazaar, one of the +finedt bazaars I have seen the world over. Every +trade is grouped separately in it. I passed through +the jewellers’ bazaar, and my eyes were dazzled by +the varieties of precious dlones that I beheld. They +were displayed by beautiful slaves wearing rich gar- +ments with a wai^l-sash of silk, who 5lood in front +of the merchants, exhibiting the jewels to the wives +of the Turks, while the women were buying them in +large quantities and trying to outdo one another. As +a result of all this I witnessed a riot — may God preserve + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +us from such ! We went on into the ambergris and +musk market, and witnessed another riot like it or +worse. + +We spent only one night at Tabriz. Next day the +amir received an order from the sultan to rejoin him, +so I returned along with hiin, without having seen any +of the learned men there. On reaching the camp the +amir told the sultan about me and introduced me +into his presence. The sultan asked me about my +country, and gave me a robe and a horse. The amir +told him that I was intending to go to the Hijdz, +whereupon he gave orders for me to be supplied with +provisions and to travel with the cortege of the com- +mander of the pilgrim caravan, and wrote in^ruftions +to that eifefl: to the governor of Baghdad. I returned +therefore to Baghddd and received in full what the +sultan had ordered. As more than two months +remained before the period when the pilgrim caravan +was to ser out, I thought it a good plan to make a +journey to Mosul and Diyar Bakr to see those di^rifts, +and then return to Baghdad when the Hijdz caravan +was due to ^tart. + +Leaving Baghddd we reached a Elation on the +Dujayl canal, which is derived from the Tigris and +waters a large traft of villages, and two days later +stopped at a large village called Harba. From there +we travelled to a place on the Tigris near a fort called +al-Ma‘shdq, opposite which on the eastern bank, is +the town of Surra-man-ra’a or Sdmarrd. This town +is a total ruin and only a very small part of it remains. +It has an equable climate and is exceedingly beautiful +in spite of its disasters and the ruins of its noble +buildings.^^® One day further on we reached Takn't, +a large ^ city with fine markets and many mosques, +whose inhabitants are di^inguished by their good +qualities. Two marches from there brought us to +a village called al-‘Aqr, from which there is a con- + + + +TRAVELS OF I UN UATTOTA + +(muous ilrip of vtlUgci and cuUlvai:on {o Moiul. +Wc came next to ^tne black land in whicli there are +uclU of pitch, like the one already mentioned between +Kiifa and Uaara, and two iU^c% on Uom these wcJIj +wc reached al-Mawiil [Mosul]. + +Mosul ii an ancient and prosperou* city, whose +fortress, known a» al-l fadbV [** 'I*hc I lumpback **], i» +famous for its strength. Next to it are the au!tan*3 +palaces. These arc Separated from the town by a +long and broad Arcct, running from the top to the +Ijottom of the town. Round the town run two strong +walla, with cIose*set towers. So thick is the w*ali that +there arc ebambera inside it one next the other all the +way round. I have neser seen city walla like it except +at Delhi. OuLtidc (he town ia a large suburb, con- +taining mo‘.r|[uca, baths, hoilclriea and markets. It +hai a cathedral mosque on the bank of the 'Ilgfia, +round which (here arc lattice windowa of iron, and +adjoining it are platforms overlooking the river, +exceedingly bcautiuil and well conRru^cd. In front +of the mosque there ia a hospital, and (here are two +other cathedral mosques inside the (own. The +Qav'sariya of Mosul ia a fine building with iron gates.** + +From Mosul wc journeved to Jaalrat ibn *Omar, +a large (own surrounded by the river, which ia the +rciicn why it is called Jazfrah psland]. 'Hie greater +part of it is in ruins, lu inhabitants are men of +excellent charaflcr and very kind to Arangcra. The +day that wc Aayed (here wc saw Mount /fidf, which +is mentioned in (he Uook of God [the Koran] as that +on which Noah's vessel came to rcA. Two Aages +from Jazirat ibn *Omar wc reached the town of +Nasfbfn, an ancient town of moderate size, for the moA +part in ruins, lying In a wide and fcrtiic plain. In +this town rose-water is manufaAurcd which is un- +equalled for perfume and sweetness. Round it there +runs like a bracelet a river which Hows from sources +103 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +in a mountain close by- One branch enters the town, +flows amid^ its Greets and dwellings, cuts through the +court of the principal mosque, and empties into two +basins. The town has a hospital and two madrasas. + +Thereafter we travelled to the town of Sinjdr,^® +which is built at the foot of a mountain. Its in- +habitants are Kurds, and are brave and generous. +We went on next to the town of Dara, a large, ancient +and gli^ening town, with an imposing fortress,®^ but +now in ruins and totally uninhabited. Outside it +there is an inhabited village in which we topped. +We journeyed on from there and reached the town of +Maridin, a great city at the foot of a hill, one of the +mo^ beautiful, striking and sub^antially built cities +in the lands of Islam. Here they manufadlure the +woollen fabrics known by its name. At Maridin +there is a fortress of exceptional height, situated on +the hilltop. The sultan of Maridin at the time of +my ^ay was al-Malik as-Sdlih.®^ There is no one in +‘Iraq, Syria or Egypt who is more openhanded than +he, and poets and darwishes come to visit him and +receive munificent gifts. + +I then Parted to make my way back to Baghdad. +On reaching Mosul I found its pilgrim caravan out- +side the city setting out for Baghdad and joined them. +When we arrived at Baghdad I found the pilgrims +preparing for the journey, so I went to visit the governor +and asked him for the things which the sultan had +ordered for me. He assigned me the half of a camel- +litter and provisions and water for four persons, +writing out an order to that effedl, then sent for the +leader of the caravan and commended me to him. I +had already made the acquaintance of the latter, but +our friendship was ^rengthened and I remained under +his protedfion and favoured by his bounty, for he gave +me even more than had been ordered for me. As we +left Kiifa .1 fell ill of a diarrhoea and had to be dis- + +104 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +mounted from the camel many times a day. The +commander of the caravan used to make enquiries +for my condition and give inAruftions that I should +be looked after. My illness continued until 1 reached +Mecca, the Sanfluary of God (may He exalt her +honour and greatness 1 ). I made the circuit of the +Sacred Edifice [the Ka*aba] on arrival, but I was so +weak that I had to carry out the prescribed cere- +monies seated, and I made the circuit and the ritual +visitation of Safi and Marwa riding on the amir’s +horse." When we camped at Mind I began to feel +relief and to recover from my malady. At the end +of the Pilgrimage I remained at Mecca all that year, +giving myself up entirely to pious exercises and leading +a moll agreeable eridlence. After the next Pilgrimage +[of 132^ I spent another year there, and yet another +after that. + + + +CHAPTER III + + +After the Pilgrimage at the close of the year 1330 +I set out from Mecca, making for Yemen. I arrived +at Judda [Jedda], an ancient town on the sea-coa^, +which is said to have been built by the Persians. A +Grange thing happened to- me here. A blind man, +whom I did not know and who did not know me, +called me by name, and taking my hand said “ Where +is the ring ?” Now, as I left Mecca, a religious +mendicant had met me and asked me for alms, and +as I had nothing with me at the time, I had given +him my ring. I told the blind man this, and he said +“ Go back and look for it, for there are names written +on it which contain a great secret.” I was greatly +astonished at him and at his knowledge of this — God +knows who he was. At the Friday service at Judda, +the muezzin comes and counts the number of the +inhabitants of the town present. If they amount to +forty the preacher holds the Friday service, but if +they are fewer he prays the midday prayer four times, +taking no account of the Strangers present, however +many they may be. + +We embarked here on a boat which they called a +jalba. The Sharif Mansdr embarked on another +and desired me to accompany him, but I refused. He +had a number of camels in his jalba and that frightened +me, as I had never travelled on sea before. For two +days we sailed with a favouring wind, then it changed +and drove us out of our course. The waves came +overboard into our midSt and the passengers fell +grievously sick. These terrors continued until we + +106 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +emerged at a roadstead called Ra s DawA ir^ between +Aydhdb and SawAkin. Wc landed here and found +on the shore a reed hut shaped like a mosque, inside +which were oAlrich egg-shells filled with water. We +drank from these and cooked food, A party of Bejds +came to us, so we hired camels from them and travelled +with them through a country in which there are many +gazelles. The Bejds do not cat them so they are tame +and do not run away from men. After two days’ +travelling we reached the island of SawAkin fSuakinj. +It is a large island lying about six miles off the coail, +and has neither water nor cereal crops nor trees. +Water is brought to it in boats, and it has large reser- +voirs for colle&ng rainwater. The flesh of oAlriches, +gazelles and wild asses is to be had in it, and it has +many goats together with milk and butter, which is +exported to Mecca. Their cereal is jurjur^ a kind of +coarse grained millet, which is also exported to Mecca. +The sultan of Sawikin when I was there was the +Sharif Zayd, the son of the amir of Mecca. + +We took ship at SawAkin for Yemen. No sailing +is done on this sea at night because of the number of +rocks in it. At nightfall they land and embark again +at sunrise. The captain of the ship Alands conAlantly +at the prow to warn the Aleersman of rocks. Six days +after leaving SawAkin we reached the town of Hali,^ +a large and populous town inhabited by two Arab +tribes. The sultan is a man of excellent charaAIer, +a man of letters and a poet. I had accompanied him +from Mecca to Judda, and when I reached his city +he treated me generously and made me his guest for +several days. I embarked in a ship of his and reached +the township of Sarja, which is inhabited by Yemenite +merchants.® They are generous and open-handed, +supply food to travellers and assiAl pilgrims, trans- +porting them in their ships and providing for them +from their own funds. We Alayed at Sarja only one +107 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +night as their gue^s, then sailed on to the road^ead +of al-Ahwab and thence went up to Zabid.^ + +Zabid is a hundred and twenty miles from San‘a, +and is after San ‘a the larged and wealthier town in +Yemen. It lies amid^ luxuriant gardens with many +breams and fruits, such as bananas and the like. It +is in the interior, not on the coa^, and is one of the +capital cities of the country. The town is large and +populous, with palm-groves, orchards, and running +streams — in faft, the pleasanter and mor beautiful +town in Yemen. Its inhabitants are charming in +their manners, upright, and handsome, and the women +especially are exceedingly beautiful. The people of +this town hold the famous [junketings called] suhut +an-nakhl in this wise. They go out to the palm- +groves every Saturday during the season of the colour- +ing and ripening of the dates.® Not a soul remains +in the town, whether of the townsfolk or of the visitors. +The musicians go out [to entertain them], and the +shopkeepers go out selling fruits and sweetmeats. +The women go in litters on camels. For all we have +said of their exceeding beauty they are virtuous and +possessed of excellent qualities. They show a pre- +dileftion for foreigners, and do not refuse to marry +them, as the women in our country do. When a +woman’s husband wishes to travel she goes out with +him and bids him farewell, and if they have a child, +it is she who takes care of it and supplies its wants +until the father returns. While he is absent she +demands nothing from him for maintenance or clothes +or anything else, and while he ^ays with her she is +content with very little for upkeep and clothing. But +the women never leave their own towns, and none of +them would consent to do so, however much she were +offered. + +We went on from there to the town of Ta‘izz, the +capital of the king of Yemen, and one of the fine^ + +io8 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +and largcft towns in that country.” Its people arc +overbearing* insolent* and rude* as is generally the +ease in towns where kings reside. Ta'izz is made up +of three quarters; the firil is the residence of the king +and his court* the second* called ‘Udayna* is the +military flation* and the third* called al-lvlahdlib*^ is +inhabited by the commonalty, and contains the prin- +cipal market. The sultan of Yemen is Niir ad-Dln +‘AH of the house of Rasdl. He uses an elaborate +ceremonial in his audiences and progresses. The +fourth day after our arrival was a Thursday* on whieh +day the king holds a public audience. The qddl +presented me to him and I saluted him. The way in +which one salutes is to touch the ground with the +index-finger* then lift it to the head and say “ May +God prolong thy Majefly.” I did as the qddl had +don^ and the king* having ordered me to sit in front +of him* queAioned me about my country and the other +lands and princes 1 had seen. The wazir was present* +and the king ordered him to treat me honourably and +arrange for my lodging.’ After flaying there for +some days as his gueft* I set out for the town of San'd, +which was the former capital* a populous town built +of brick and plaSler* with a temperate climate and +^od water. A flrange thing about the rain in India* +Yemen* and Abyssinia is that it falls only in the hot +weather* and moflly every afternoon during that +season* so travellers always make hafle about noon +to avoid being caught by the rain* and the townsfolk +retire indoors* for their rains are heavy downpours. +The whole town of San'd is paved* so that when the +rain falls it washes and cleans all the flreets. + +I travelled thence to ‘Aden* the port of Yemen* +on the coafl of the ocean. It is surrounded by moun- +tains and can be approached from one side only; it has +no crops* trees* or water* but has reservoirs in which +rainwater is collefted. The Arabs often cut off the +109 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +inhabitants from their supply of drinking-water until +they buy them off with money and pieces of cloth. +It is an exceedingly hot place. It is the port of the +Indians, and to it come large vessels from Kinbdyat +[Cambay], Kawlam [Quilon], Cdlicdt, and many other +Malabar ports. There are Indian merchants living +there, as well as Egyptian merchants. Its inhabitants +are all either merchants, porters, or fishermen. Some +of the merchants are immensely rich, so rich that +sometimes a single merchant is sole owner of a large +ship with all it contains, and this is a subjedf of o^enta- +tion and rivalry among^ them. In spite of that they +are pious, humble, upright, and generous in charadfer, +treat strangers well, give liberally to devotees, and pay +in full the tithes due to God. + +I took ship at ‘Aden, and after four days at sea +reached Zayla‘ [Zeila], the town of the Berberah, who +are a negro people. Their land is a desert extending +for two months’ journey from Zayla‘ to Maqdashaw. +Zayla‘ is a large city with a great bazaar, but it is the +dirtiest, moil abominable, and moil ilinking town in +the world. The reason for the ilench is the quantity +of its fish and the blood of the camels that they slaughter +in the ilreets. When we got there, we chose to spend +the night at sea, in spite of its extreme roughness, +rather than in the town, because of its filth. + +On leaving Zayla‘ we sailed for fifteen days and came +to Maqdashaw [Mogdishu], which is an enormous +town. Its inhabitants are merchants and have many +camels, of which they slaughter hundreds eVery day +[for food]. When a vessel reaches the port, it is met +by sumbuqSy which are small boats, in each of which +are a number of young men, each carrying a covered +dish containing food. He presents this to ono of the +merchants on the ship saying “ This is my gue^,” and +all the others do the same. Each merchant on dis- +embarking goes only to the house of the young man + +no + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +who is his hoft, except those who have made frequent +journeys to the town and know its people well; these +live where, they please. The hoft then sells his goods +for him and buys for him, and if anyone buys anything +from him at too low a price or sells to him in the +absence of his ho^, the sale is regarded by them as +invalid. This praftice is of great advantage to them. +When these young men came on board our vessel, +one of them approached me. My companions said +“This man is not a merchant, but a theologian, “ +whereupon the young man called out to his friends +“ This IS the qddi's guest.” Amon^ them was one +of the qddi’s men, who went to tdl him of this, so +he came down to the beach with a number of dludents, +and sent one of them to me. When I disembarked +with my party, I saluted him and his party, and he +said “ In the name of God, let us go and salute the +Shaykh." Thereupon I said “ And who is this + +Shaykh ?” He answered “ The sultan,” for they call +the sultan * the Shaykh.’ 1 said to him “ When I +have settled down I shall go to him,” and he replied +“ It is the cudlom that whenever a theologian, or sharlf, +or man of religion comes here, he mudl see the sultan +before taking his lodging.” So I went to him as +they asked. The sultan, whose name is Abd Bakr, +is of Berberah origin, and he talks in the Maqdishi +language, though he knows Arabic. When we +reached the palace and news of my arrival was sent +in, a eunuch came out with a plate containing betel +leaves and areca nuts. He gave me ten leaves and +a few nuts, the same to the qddl, and the re^l to my +companions and the qidl’s students, and then said +“ Our mailer commands that he be lodged in the +students’ house.” Later on the same eunuch brought +food from the * Shaykh’s * palace. With him came +one of the wazlrs, whose duty it was to look after the +gueils, and who said “ Our mailer greets you and bids +III + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +you welcome.” We ^ayed there three days, food +being brought to us three times a day, and on the +fourth, a Friday, the qadi and one of the wazirs brought +me a set of garments. We then went to the mosque +and prayed behind the [sultan’s] screen.® When the +‘ Shaykh ’ came out I greeted him and he bade me +welcome. He put on his sandals, ordering the qadi +and myself to do the same, and set out for his palace +on foot. All the other people walked barefooted. +Over his head were carried four canopies of coloured +silk, each surmounted by a golden bird. After the +palace ceremonies were over, all those present saluted +and retired. + +I embarked at Maqdashaw for the Sawahil country, +with the objeft of visiting the town of Kulwa [Kilwa, +Quiloa] in the land of the Zanj.® We came to Mam- +basa [Mombasa], a large island two days’ journey by +sea from the Sawahil country.^® It possesses no +territory on the mainland. They have fruit trees on +the island, but no cereals, which have to be brought +to them from the Sawahil. Their food consifts chiefly +of bananas and fish. The inhabitants are pious, +honourable, and upright, and they have well-built +wooden mosques. We ^ayed one night in this island, +and then pursued our journey to Kulwa, which is a +large town on the coa^. The majority of its inhabi- +tants are Zanj, jet-black in colour, and with tattoo- +marks on their faces. I was told by a merchant that +the town of Sufala lies a fortnight’s journey [south] +from Kulwa, and that gold duft is brought to Sufala +from Ydfi in the country of the Limis, which is a +month’s journey diftant from it.^^ Kulwd is a very +fine and sub^antially built town, and all its buildings +are of wood. Its inhabitants are con^antly engaged +in military expeditions, for their country is contiguous +to the heathen Zanj. The sultan at the time of my +visit was Abu’l-Muzaffar Hasan, who was noted for + +II2 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +his gifts and generosity. He used to devote the fifth +part of the booty made on his expeditions to pious +and charitable purposes, as is prescrioed in the Koran, “ +and I have seen him give the clothes of? his back to +a mendicant who asked him for them. When this +liberal and virtuous sultan died, he was succeeded by +his brother Diwdd, who was at the opposite pole from +him in this respe^b. Whenever a petitioner came to +him, he would say ** He who gave is dead, and left +nothing behind him to be given.” Visitors would +^ay at his court for months on end, and finally he +would make them some small gift, so that at laA +pe(^le gave up going to his gate. + +From Kulwd we sailed to Dhafdri phofar], at the +extremity of Yemen. Thoroughbred horses arc ex- +ported from here to India, the passage taking a month +with a favouring wind. Dhafdri is a monthl’s journey +from 'Aden across the desert, and is situated in a +desolate locality without villages or dependencies. Its +market is one of the dirtied in the world and the moil +pcAered by flies because of the quantity of fruit and +fish sold there. Mofl of the fish arc of the kind +called sardines, which arc extremely fat in that country, +A curious fa^ is that these sardines arc the sole food +of their beails and flocks, a thing which I have seen +nowhere else. MoR of the sellers [in the market] +are female slaves, who wear black garments. The +inhabitants cultivate millet and irrigate it from very +deep wells, the water from which is raised in a large +bucket drawn up by a number of ropes attached to +the wai^ls of slaves. Their principal food is rice, +imported from India. Its population consiils of +merchants who live entirely on trade. When a vessel +arrives they take the ma^cr, captain and writer in +procession to the sultan’s palace and entertain the +entire ship’s company for three days in order to gain +the goodwill of the shipma^ers. Another curious + +1x3 I + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +thing is that its people closely resemble the people of +Northwe^ Africa in their cuiloms. In the neighbour- +hood of the town there are orchards with many banana- +trees. The bananas are of immense size; one which +was weighed in my presence scaled twelve ounces and +was pleasant to the ta^e and very sweet. They grow +also betel-trees and coco-palms, which are found only +in India and the town of Dhafari.^® Since we have +mentioned these trees, we shall describe them and +their properties here. + +Betel-trees are grown like vines on cane trellises or +else trained up coco-palms. They have no fruit and +are grown only for their leaves. The Indians have +a high opinion of betel, and if a man visits a friend +and the latter gives him five leaves of it, you would +think he had given him the world, especially if he is +a prince or notable. A gift of betel is a far greater +honour than a gift of gold and silver. It is used in +this way. Fir^ one takes areca-nuts, which are like +nutmegs, crushes them into small bits and chews them. +Then the betel leaves are taken, a little chalk is put +on them, and they are chewed with the areca-nuts. +They sweeten the breath and aid dige^ion, prevent +the disagreeable effedls of drinking water on an empty +^omach, and ilimulate the faculties. + +The coco-palm is one of the ^range^ of trees, and +looks exadlly like a date-palm. The nut resembles +a man’s head, for it has marks like eyes and a mouth, +and the contents, when it is green, are like the brain. +It has fibre like hair, out of which they make ropes, +which they use in^ead of nails to bind their ships +together and also as cables. Among^ its properties +are that it ^rengthens the body, fattens, and adds +redness to the face. If it is cut open when it is green +it gives a liquid deliciously sweet and fresh. After +drinking this one takes a piece of the rind as a spoon +and scoops out the pulp inside the nut. This taftes + +I14 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +like an egg that has been broiled but not quite cooked* +and is nourishing. I lived on it for a year and a half +when I was in the Maldivc islands. One of its pccu* +liarities is that oil, milk and honey arc extra^cd from +it. The honey is made in this fashion. They cut +a Ralk on which the fruit grows, leaving two fingers* +length, and on this they tic a small bowl, into which +the sap drips. If this has been done in the morning, +a servant climbs un again in the evening with two +bowls, one filled witn water. He pours into the other +the sap that has cohered, then washes the Aalk, cuts +off a small piece, and tics on another bowl. The same +thing is repeated next morning until a good deal of +the sap has been collcAed, when it is cooked until +it thicKcns. It then makes an excellent honey, and +the merchants of India, Yemen, and China buy it and +take it to their own countries, where they manufaflure +sweetmeats from it. 'fhe milk is made by Aceping the +contents of the nut in water, which takes on the colour +and toAe of milk and is used along with food. To +make the oil, the ripe nuts arc peeled and the contents +dried in the sun, then cooked in cauldrons and the oil +cxtraAcd. They use it for lighting and dip bread +in it, and the women put it on their hair. + +We left Dhafiri for ‘Omin in a small ship belonging +to a man from Masfra. On the second day of our +journey we disembarked at the roadAcad of Hdsik,*^ +which is inhabited by Arab fishermen. Here they +have a great quantity of frankincense trees. They +have thin leaves out of which drips, when they arc +slashed, sap like milk. This turns into a gum, which +is the frankincense. The people living in this port +arc dependent on fishing for their food, and the fish +they catch is the lukhaittf which is like a dogfish. +They slice these fish up, dry them in the sun and use +them for food, and build their houses with the fish +bones, using camel skins for roofs. + +”5 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +Six days later we reached the Island of Birds, which +is uninhabited. We ca^ anchor and went on shore, +and found it full of birds like blackbirds, only bigger. +The sailors brought some of their eggs, cooked and +ate them, then caught a number of the birds which +they cooked without previously slitting their throats.^® +My food during the voyage consi^ed of dried dates +and fish, for they used to fish every morning and even- +ing. The fish they caught were cut up into pieces +and broiled, and every person on board received a +portion, no preference being shown to anyone, not +even to the ma^er. We celebrated the Pilgrimage +Festival at sea, being ^ormtossed all that day from +sunrise until sunrise the next day, and in danger of +foundering. A ship in front of us was sunk, and only +one man escaped by swimming after great efforts. +We called next at the island of Masfra, a large island +whose inhabitants live entirely on fish,^® but we did +not land as the road^ead is at some di^ance from the +shore. Besides I had taken a dislike to these people +after seeing them eat birds without slitting their +throats. + +We sailed for a day and a night from Masfra and, +reached the road^ead of a large village called Sfir, +from which we could see the town of Qalhat, situated +on the slope of a hill apparently close at hand.’^'’^ As +we had anchored ju^ after midday, I desired to walk +to Qalhat and spend the night there, for I had taken +a dislike to the company on the ship. On enquiry, +I was told that I should get there in the mid-afternoon, +so I hired one of the sailors as a guide. An Indian +named Khidr, who had been one of my fellow-pas- +sengers, came with me, and the re^ of my party were +left on board with my goods to rejoin me the next +day. I took with me some of my clothes, giving +them to the guide to carry to spare myself fatigue +and myself carried a lance. Now the guide wished + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +to ^teal the clothes, so he led us to an inlet of the sea +and set about crossing it with the clothes. I said +to him “ You cross over alone and leave the clothes; +if we can cross we shall, and if not we shall look for +a ford higher up.” He drew back then, and after- +wards we saw some men swimming across, so we +were convinced that he had wanted to drown us and +get away with the clothes. Though I made a show +of vivacity I was on my guard and kept brandishing +the lance, so that the guide became frightened of me. +We then came on a waterless plain and suffered greatly +from thirst, but God sent us a horseman with a com- +pany of men who gave us to drink, and wc went on, +thinking that the town was close at hand, while +aftually we were separated from it by nullahs in which +we walked for miles. In the evening the guide wished +to lead us towards the shore, where there is no road, +for the coaA is rocky, hoping that we should get iiuck +among the rocks and he would make away with the +clothes, but 1 said that we should take no road but +the one that we were on. When night fell, as I was +afraid of being molested on the road and did not +know exadlly how far we ^lill were from the town, I +decided that we should go aside from the road and +sleep. Although I was tired out I pretended to be +full of vigour, and put the clothes under my garments +and grasped my lance in my hand. My companion +was worn out, and both he and the guide slept, but +I flayed awake and every time the guide moved I +spoke to him to show him that I was awake. In the +morning I sent the guide to fetch us some water and +my companion took the clothes. We had ^lill some +ravines and nullahs to cross, but the guide brought +us water and eventually wc reached Qdhdt in a ^ate +of extreme fatigue. My feet were so swollen inside +my shoes that the blood was almost Parting from +under the nails. Then, as a final touch to our mis- +117 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +fortunes, the gatekeeper insisted on taking me to be +interrogated by the governor of the town. The +governor, however, was an excellent man and very +kind, and he put me up. I stayed with him for six +days, during which I was unable to walk because of +the soreness of my feet. The town of Qalhat lies +on the shore; it has fine bazaars and an exceedingly +beautiful mosque, the wails of which are decorated +with Qashani tilework, and which occupies a lofty +situation overlooking the town and the harbour. I +ate fish there of a sort which I have found in no other +country. I preferred it to any kind of flesh and used +to eat nothing else. They broil it on the leaves of +trees and serve it with rice, which is brought to them +by sea from India. The inhabitants are traders and +live [entirely] on what comes to them from the Indian +Ocean. Whenever a vessel arrives at their town, they +show the greater joy. + +We then set out for the country of ‘Oman and arrived +there after six days’ travelling.^® It is a fertile land, +with breams, trees, orchards, palm gardens, and fruit +trees of various kinds. Its capital, the town of Nazwa, +lies at the foot of a mountain and has fine bazaars and +splendid clean mosques. Its inhabitants make a habit +of eating meals in the courts of the mosques, every +person bringing what he has, and all sitting down to +the meal together, and travellers join in with them. +They are very warlike and brave, always fighting +between themselves. The sultan of ‘Oman is an +Arab of the tribe of Azd, and is called Abd Muham- +mad, which is the title given to every sultan who +governs ‘Oman.^® The towns on the coa^t are for the +mo^ part under the government of Hormuz. + +I travelled next to the country of Hormuz. Hormuz +is a town on the coa^, called also Mdghi^an, and in +the sea facing it and nine miles from shore is New +Hormuz, which is an island.^® The town on it is + +ii8 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +called Jarawn. It is a large and fine city, with busy +markets, as it is the port nrom which the wares from +India and Sind arc despatched to the 'Irdqs, Fdrs and +Khurdsdn. The island is saline, and the inhabitants +live on fish and dates exported to them from Basra. +They say in their tongue KhurmJ wamdhl luti pddi~ +ikdhi^ which means ** Dates and fish are a roval dish.” +Water is a valuable commodity in this island. They +have wells and artificial reservoirs to coIIefV rainwater +at some diRance from the town. The inhabitants go +there with waterskins, which they fill and carry on +their backs to the shore, load them on boats and bring +them to the town. A flrange thing I saw there was +a fish's head at the gate of the cathedral mosque as +large as a hillock and with eyes like doors, and you +would see people entering byonc eye and coming out +^ the other. The sultan of Hormuz is Qutb ad-Dln +Tahamtan, a moSi generous and humble ruler, who +makes a habit of visiting every theologian or pious +man or sharlf who comes to his town and of paying +to each his due. We found him engaged in a war +with his nephews, who were in revolt. We ^ayed +there sixteen days, and when we wished to leave 1 +said to one of my companions ” How can we go away +without seeing this sultan ?” So we went to the +house of the wazir, who took me by the hand and went +with me to the palace. I saw there an old man wearing +skimpy and dirty garments with a turban on his head +and a kerchief as a girdle. The wazfr saluted him +and I did the same, not knowing that he was the king, +and then I began to converse with a person I knew +who was ^landing beside him. When the wazfr +enlightened me I was covered with confusion and made +mv excuses. The king rose and went into the palace, +followed by the generals and minivers and when 1 +entered with the wazfr we found him sitting on his +throne with the same shabby clothes on. He asked +II9 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +me about myself and my journey and the kings I had +seen, then, after food had been served, he rose and I +said farewell to him and went away. + +We set out from Hormuz to visit a saintly man in +the town of Khunjubal, and after crossing the ^rait, +hired mounts from the Turkmens who live in that +country. No travelling can be done there except in +their company, because of their bravery and knowledge +of the roads. In these parts there is a desert four +days’ journey in extent, which is the haunt of Arab +brigands, and in which the deadly samdm blows in +June and July. All who are overtaken by it perish, +and I was told that when a man has fallen a vidlim +to this wind and his friends attempt to wash his body +[for burial], all his limbs fall apart.^^ All along the +road there are graves of persons who have succumbed +there to this wind. We used to travel by night, and +halt from sunrise until late afternoon in the shade of +the trees. This desert was the scene of the exploits, +of the famous brigand Jamal al-Ldk, who had under +him a band of Arab and Persian horsemen. He used +to build hospices and entertain travellers with the +money that he gained by robbery, and it is said that +he used to claim that he never employed violence +except againdt those who did not pay the tithes on +their property. No king could do anything against +him, but afterwards he repented and gave, himself up +to ascetic pra<51:ices, and his grave is now a place of +pilgrimage. After traversing these deserts we reached +Kawra^tan, a small town with running streams and +orchards and extremely hot.^ From there we marched +through another desert like the former for three days +and reached the town of Lar,^® a large town with +perennial breams and orchards and fine bazaars. We +lodged in a convent inhabited by a group of darwishes +who have the following cu^om. They assemble in +the convent every afternoon and then go round the + +120 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +houses in the town; at each house they arc given one +or two loaves and from these they supply the needs +of travellers. The householders arc used to this +prafticc and make provision for the extra loaves, in +order to assiA the darwfshcs in their di^ributlon of +food. There is a Turkmen sultan in the town of Ldr, +who sent us a hospitality gift,®^ but we did not visit +or see him. + +We went on to the town of Khunjub41,“ the resi- +dence of the Shaykh Abii Bulaf, whom we had come +to visit. We lodged in his hermitage and he treated +me. kindly and sent me food and fruit by one of his +sons. From there we journeyed to the town of Qays, +which is also called Slrdf." The people of Slrdf arc +Persians of noble dlock, and amongdl them there is +a tribe of Arabs, who dive for pearls. The pearl +.fisheries are situated between Sfrdf and Bahrayn in +a calm bay like a wide river. During the months of +April and May a large number of boats come to this +place with divers and merchants from Firs, Bahrayn +and Qathlf. Before diving the diver puts on his face +a sort of tortoiseshell mask and a tortoiseshell clip on +his nose, then he- ties a rope round his waiit and dives. +They differ in their endurance under water, some of +them being able to Aay under for an hour or two +hours or less.” When he reaches the bottom of the +sea he finds the shells there ^uck in the sand between +small Aones, and pulls then out by hand or cuts them +loose with a knife which he has for the purpose, and +puts them in a leather bag slung tound his neck. +When his breath becomes rc^rifted he pulls the rope, +and the man holding the rope on the shore feels the +movement and pulls him up into the boat. The bag +is taken from him and the shells arc opened. Inside +them are found pieces of flesh which are cut out with +a knife, and when they come into contact with the air +solidify and turn into pearls. These are then collefted, +X2X + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +large and small together; the sultan takes his fifth and +the remainder are bought by the merchants who are +there in the boats. Mo^ of them are the creditors +of the divers, and they take the pearls in quittance of +their debt or so much of it as is their due. + +From Siraf we travelled to the town of Bahrayn, a +fine large town with orchards, trees and breams. +Water is easy to get at there; all one has to do is to +scoop the ground with one’s hands It is very hot +and sandy, and the sand often encroaches on some of +its settlements. From Bahrayn we went to the town +of al-Quthayf [Qathif], a fine large town inhabited by +Arab tribes who are out-and-out Shi'ites and openly +proclaim it, fearing nobody. Next we journeyed to +the town of Hajar, which is now called al-Hasa.^® +It has become the subjeft of a proverb “ Carrying dates +to Hajar,” because there are more palms there than +in any other di^ri6f, and they even feed their bea^s +with the dates. We travelled thence to the town of +Yamama,®° in company with the governor of which I +went on to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage. This +was in the year 1332, the same year that al-Malik +an-Nasir, the sultan of Egypt, made his la^t pilgrimage. +He made munificent gifts to the inhabitants of the +twin shrines [Mecca and Madina] and to the devotees +living there, and on the same journey he put to death +by poisoning the amir Ahmad, who, it is said, was +his own son, and his principal amir Bektimur the cup- +bearer, on being warned that they were' plotting to +assassinate him and seize the throne. + + +122 + + + + + + + +CHAPTER IV + + +After the pilgrimage I went to Judda, intending to +take ship to Yemen and India, but that plan fell +throuch and I could get no one to join me. I flayed +at Judda about forty days. There was a ship there +going to Qusayr [Kosair], and I went on board to +see what £Iate it was in, but 1 was not satisfied. This +was an aft of providence, for the ship sailed and foun- +dered in the open sea, and very few escaped. After- +wards I took ship for Aydhdb, but we were driven +to a roadftcad called Ra^s Dawd’ir [p. 107J, from +which we made our way with some Bcjds through +the desert to Aydhdb. Thence we travelled to Ediu +and down the Nile to Cairo, where 1 ftayed for a few +days, then set out for Svria and passed for the second +time through Gaza, Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramlah, Acre, +Tripoli, and Jabala to Lddhiofya. + +At lidhiqfya we embarked on a large galley belong- +ing to the Genoese, the maftcr of which was called +Martalmfn, and set out for the country of the Turks +known as Bildd ar-Rum [Anatolia], because it was in +ancient times their land.' Later on it was conquered +by the Muslims, but there are ftill large numbers of +ChriAians there under the government of the Turkmen +Muslims. We were ten nights at sea, and the Chris- +tian treated us kindly and took no passage money +from us. On the tenth day we reached ‘Aldyd, where +the province begins. .This country is one of the beft +in the world; in it God has united the good features +dispersed throughout other lands. Its people are the +moA comely of men, the clcaneA in their dress, the +123 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +mo^ exquisite in their food, and the kindlie^l folk in +creation. Wherever we flopped in this land, whether +at a hospice or a private house, our neighbours both +men and women (these do not veil themselves) came +to ask after us. When we left them they bade us +farewell as though they were our relatives and our own +folk, and you would see the women weeping. They +bake bread only once a week, and the men used to bring +us gifts of warm bread on the day it was baked, along +with delicious viands, saying “ The women have sent +this to you and beg your prayers.” All the inhabitants +are orthodox Sunnis; there are no seftarians or heretics +among^ them, but they eat hashish [Indian hemp], +and think no harm of it. + +The city of ‘Alaya is a large town on the seacoa^.^ +It is inhabited by Turkmens, and is visited by the +merchants of Cairo, Alexandria, and Syria. The +diftrift is well-wooded, and wood is exported from +there to Alexandria and Damietta, whence it is carried +to the other cities of Egypt. There is a magnificent +and formidable citadel, built by Sultan ‘Ala ad-Dm, +at the upper end of the town. The qadi of the town +rode out with me to meet the king of ‘Alaya, who is +Yfisuf Bek, son of Qaraman, bek meaning king in their +language. He lives at a diftance of ten miles from +the city. We found him sitting by himself on the +top of a hillock by the shore, with the amirs and wazirs +below him, and the troops on his right and left. He +hp his hair dyed black. I saluted him and answered +his que^ions regarding my visit to his town, and after +my withdrawal he sent me a present of money. + +From ‘Alaya I went to Antaliya [Adalia], a mo^ +beautiful city.® It covers an immense area, and +though of valt bulk is one of the mo^ attractive towns +to be seen anywhere, besides being exceedingly popu- +lous and well laid out. Each seCtion of the inhabitants +lives in a separate quarter. The Chri^ian merchants + +124 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +live in a quarter of the town known as the Mfni [the +Port], and are surrounded by a wall, the gates of +which are shut upon them from without at night and +during the Friday service/ The Greeks, who were +its former inhabitants, live by themselves in another +quarter, the Jews in another, and the king and his +court and mamluks in another, each of these quarters +being walled off likewise. The re^t of the Muslims +live in the main city. Round the whole town and all +the quarters mentioned there is another great wall. +The town contains many orchards and produces fine +fruits, including an admirable kind of apricot, called +by them Qamar ad-D/n, which has a sweet almond +in its kernel. This fruit is dried and exported to +Egypt, where it is regarded as a great luxury. + +We Aayed here at the college mosque of the town, +the principal of which was Shaykh Shihdb ad-Dln +al-Hamawl. Now in all the lands inhabited by the +Turkmens in Anatolia, in every diftrift, town, and +village, there are to be found members of the organi- +zation known as the Akhlya or Young Brotherhood. +Nowhere in the world will you find men so eager to +welcome strangers, so prompt to serve food and to +satisfy the wants of others, and so ready to suppress +injuflice and to kill [tyrannical] agents of police and +the miscreants who join with them. A Young +Brother, or akhi in their language, is one who is +chosen by all the members of his trade [guild], or +by other young unmarried men, or those who live in +ascetic retreat, to be their leader. This organization +is known also as the Futuvoa^ or Order of Youth. +The leader builds a'hospice and furnishes it with rugs, +lamps, and other necessary appliances. The members +of his community work during the day to gain their +livelihood, and bring him what they have earned in +the late afternoon. With this they buy fruit, food, +and the other things which the hospice requires for + +IZ5 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +their use. If a traveller comes to the town that day +they lodge him in their hospice; these provisions serve +for his entertainment as their gue^l, and he ^ays with +them until he goes away. If there are no travellers +they themselves, assemble to partake of the food, and +having eaten it they sing and dance. On the morrow +they return to their occupations and bring their earn- +ings to their leader in the late afternoon. The +members are called jitydn (youths), and their leader, +as we have said, is the akhi^ + +The day after our arrival at Antaliya one of these +youths came to Shaykh Shihab ad-Din al-Hamawi +and spoke to him in Turkish, which I did not under- +hand at that time. He was wearing old clothes and +had a felt bonnet on his head. The shaykh said to +me “ Do you know what he is saying “ No ” +said I “ I do not know.” He answered “ He is in- +viting you and your company to eat a meal with him.” +I was ahonished but I said “Very well,” and when +the man had gone I said to the shaykh “ He is a poor +man, and is not able to entertain us, and we do not +like to be a burden pn him.” The shaykh burh out +laughing and said “ He is one of the shaykhs of the +Young Brotherhood. He is a cobbler, and a man +of generous disposition. His companions, about two +hundred men belonging to diiferent trades, have made +him their leader and have built a hospice to entertain +their gue^s. All that they earn by day 'they spend +at night.” + +After I had prayed the sunset prayer the same man +came back for us and took us to the hospice. We +found [ourselves in] a fine building, carpeted with +beautiful Turkish rugs and lit by a large number of +chandeliers of ‘Iraqi glass. A number of young men +^ood in rows in the hall, wearing long mantles and +boots, and each had a knife about two cubits long +attached to a girdle around his waift. On their heads + +126 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +were white woollen bonnets, and attached to the peak +of these bonnets was a piece of Sluff a cubit long and +two fingers in breadth. When they took their scats, +every man removed his bonnet and set it down in +front of him, and kept on his head another ornamental +bonnet of silk or other material. In the centre of +their hall was a sort of platform placed there for +visitors. When we took our places, they served up +a great banquet followed by fruits and sweetmeats, +after which they began to sing and to dance. We +were filled with admiration and were greatly ailonished +at their openhandedness and generosity. We took +leave of them at the close of the night and left them +in their hospice. + +The sultan of Antdliya, Khidr Bek, son of Ydnus +Bek, was ill when we reached the town, but we visited +him on his sick*bcd. He spoke to us very kindly, +and when we took leave of him, sent us a gift of +money. + +We travelled on to the town of Burdiir [Buldur], +a small place with many orchards and Yearns, and a +Strong fortress on a hilltop. We put up as the gucAs +of the preacher there. The brotherhood held a +meeting and wished us to ilay with them, but he would +not hear of it, so they prepared a banquet for us in +a garden belonging to one of them and conducted us +to the place. It was marvellous to see the joy and +gladness with which they received us, though they +were ignorant of our language and we of theirs, and +there was no one to interpret between us. We flayed +with them one day and then took our leave. + +From Burddr we went on to Sabarta [Isparta], and +then to Akrfdfir [Egirdir], a great and populous town +with fine bazaars. There is a lake with sweet water +here on which boats go in two days to Aqshahr and +Baqshshr and other towns and villages.® The sultan +of Akrfdfir is one of the principal rulers in this country. + +127 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +He is a man of upright conduft and attends the after- +noon prayer at the cathedral mosque every day. +While we were there his son died and after his burial +the sultan and the indents went out to his grave for +three days. I went out with them the second day +and the sultan, seeing me walking, sent me a horse +with his apologies. On reaching the madrasa I sent +back the horse, but he returned it saying “ I gave it +as a gift, not as a loan.” He sent me also a robe and +some money. + +We left there for the town of Qul Hisar [“ Lake +Fortress ”], a small town completely surrounded by +reed-grown water.”^ The only way to it is by a sort +of bridge between the rushes and the water, admitting'’ +only one horseman at a time. The town, which is +on a hill in the mid^fc of the lake, is impregnable. +The sultan, who is the brother of the sultan of +Akn'ddr, was absent when we arrived, but after we +had ^ayed there some days he came back and treated +us kindly, supplying us with horses and provisions. +He sent some horsemen to escort us to the town of +Ladhiq [Denizli], as the country was infe^ed by a +troop of brigands called Jarmiyan [Kermian] who +possess a town called Kdtahiya. Ladhiq is a mo^t +important town, with seven cathedral mosques. In it +are manufaflured matchless cotton fabrics with gold +embroidered edges, which have a very long life on +account of the excellence of the cotton and of the +spinning. Mo^ of the workers are Greek women, +for there are many Greeks here, who are subjedl: to +the Muslims and pay a poll tax to the sultan. The +di^inftive mark of the Greeks is their tall peaked +hats, red or white; their women wear capacious +turbans. As we entered the town we passed through +a bazaar. Some men got down from their booths +and took our horses’ bridles, then some others objected +to their aftion and the altercation went on so long + +128 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +that some of them drew knives. We of course did +not know what they were saying and were afraid of +them, thinking they were those brigands and that +this was their town. At length God sent us a man +who knew Arabic, and he explained that they were +members of two branches of the “ Young Brother- +hood,” each of whom wanted us to lodge with them. +We were amazed at their generosity. It was decided +finally that they should caA lots, and that we should +lodge firit with the winner. This being done the +prior of the hr^ hospice, Brother Sindn, conducted us +to the bath and himself looked after me; afterwards +they served up a great banouct with sweetmeats and +many fruits. Some verses of the Koran were then read +and after that they began to chant their litany and +to dance. The next day wc had an audience of the +sultan, who is one of the principal rulers in Anatolia, +and on our return were met by Brother Tdmdn, the +prior of the other hospice, who entertained us even +better than their friends had done, and sprinkled us +with rose water when wc came out of the bath. + +Wc flayed at Lddhiq for some time, in view of the +dangers of the road; then, as a caravan was ready to +set out, we travelled with them for a day and part +of the next night and reached the caiUe of Tawas +[Davas]. We spent the night outside it and next +morning, on coming to the gate, we were interrogated +from the top of the wall. The commander then came +out with his troops, and after they had explored the +neighbourhood for fear of the robbers, their animals +were driven out. This is their constant praftice. +From there we went on to Mughla and thence to +Mflds, one of the finest and moft important towns in +the country. We lodged in a convent of one of the +Young Brotherhood, who outdid by far all that our +previous hoils had done in the way of generosity, +hospitality, taking us to the bath, and other praise- +129 ' K + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +worthy a6Is. The sultan of IMilas is an excellent +ruler, and keeps company with theologians. He gave +us gifts and supplied us with horses and provisions. ^ + +After receiving the sultan’s gift we left for the city +of Qiiniya [Konia]. It is a large town with fine +buildings, and has many breams and fruit-gardens. +The Greets are exceedingly broad, and the bazaars +admirably planned, with each craft in a bazaar of its +own. It is said that this city was built by Alexander. +It is now in the territories of Sultan Badr ad-Din ibn +Qaraman, whom we shall mention presently, but it +has sometimes been captured by the king of ‘Iraq, +as it lies close to his territories in this country. We +^ayed there at the hospice of the qadi, who is called +Ibn Qalam Shah, and is a member of the Futuwa. +His hospice is very large indeed, and he has a great +many disciples. They trace their affiliation to the +Futuwa back to the Caliph ‘All, and the di^in6tive +garment of the order in their case is the trousers,® +ju^ as the Sdfis wear the patched robe. This qadi +showed us even greater consideration and hospitdity +than our former benefaftors, and sent his son with us +in his place to the bath. + +In this town is the mausoleum of the pious shaykh +Jalal ad-Din [ar-Rdmi], known as Mawldnd [“ Our +Ma^er ”]. He was held in high e^eem, and there +is a brotherhood in Anatolia who claim spiritual +affiliation with him and are called after him the +Jaldliya? The ^ory goes that Jaldl ad-Din was in +early life a theologian and a professor. One day a +sweetmeat seller came into the college-mosque with +a tray of sweetmeats on his head, and, having given +him a piece went out again. The shaykh left his +lesson to follow him and disappeared for some years. +Then^ he came back, but with a disordered mind, +speaking nothing but Persian verses which no one +could underhand. His disciples followed him and + +130 + + + +TRAVELS OF' IBN BATTUTA + +wrote down his produftions, which they coUefted into +a book called The Mathnawi. This book is greatly +revered by the people of this country; they meditate +on it, teach it, and read it in their religious houses +on Thursday nights. From Qiiniya we travelled to +Ldranda [Karaman], the capital of the sultan of +Qaramin. I met this sultan outside the town as he +was coming back from hunting, and on my dismounting +to him, he dismounted also. It is the custom of the +kings of this country to dismount if a visitor dismounts +to them. This action on his part pleases them and +they show him greater honour; if on the other hand he +greets them while on horseback they are displeased +and the visitor forfeits their goodwill in consequence. +This happened to me once with one of these kings. +After I had greeted the sultan we rode back to the +town together, and he showed me the greateft +hospitality. + +We then entered the territories of the king of Trig, +visiting Aqsara [AkseraiJ, where they make shcep^s +wool carpets which are cavorted as far as India, China, +and the lands of the Turks, and journeyed thence +through Nakda [Nigda] to Qaysirlya, which is one of +the largest towns in the country. In this town resides +one of the Viceroy’s khdtdns, who is related to the +king of Trdq, and like all the sultan’s relatives has +the title of ^ghd^ which means Great. We visited +her and she treated us courteously, ordering a meal +to be served for us, and when we withdrew sent us +a horse with saddle and bridle and a sum of money. +At all these towns we lodged in a convent belonging +to the Young Brotherhood. It is the cu^Iom in this +country that in towns that are not the residence of +a sultan one of the Young Brothers afts as governor, +exercising the same authority and appearing m public +with the same retinue as a king. We travelled on +to Slwas, the largest town in the country and residence + +131 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +of the king of ‘Irdq’s viceroy, ‘Ala ad-Din Artana. +We were met near the town by a party belonging to +the “ Young Brother ” Ahmad, and a litde later by +a party of the “ Young Brother ” Chelebi, who invited +us to ^ay with them, but we were already pledged +to the former. Our ho^s showed the utmo^ joy on +our arrival at their convent, and treated us with the +mo^ perfeft hospitality. We visited the amir ‘Aid +ad-Din Artana who, speaking in excellent Arabic, +asked me about the countries I had visited and their +sovereigns, and afterwards sent us gifts. When we +left Siwas he wrote to his lieutenants in the towns to +give us hospitality and to supply us with provisions. +We journeyed thence to Amdsiya, a large and beautiful +town with broad Greets, Kumish [Giimush Khanah], +a populous town which is visited by merchants from +‘Irdq and Syria and has silver mines, Arzanjdn, where +Armenians form the greater part of the population, +and Arz ar-Riim. This is a va^l town but is mo^y +in ruins as the result of a civil war between two Turk- +men tribes. We lodged there at the convent of the +“ Young Brother ” Tdmdn, who was said to be more +than a hundred and thirty years old. I saw him +going about on foot supported by a ^taff, with his +facvdties unimpaired and assiduous in praying at the +^ated times. All these towns belong to the king of +‘Irdq. + +We went on to the town of Birgi^° where we had +been told there was a di^inguished professor called +Muhyi ad-Din. On reaching the madrasa we found +him ju^ arriving, mounted on a lively mule and wearing +ample garments with gold embroidery, with his slaves +and servants on either side of him and preceded by +the indents. He gave us a kindly welcome and +invited me to visit him after the sunset prayer. I +found him in a reception hall in his garden, which +had a ^ream of water flowing through a white marble + +132 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +basin with a rim of enamelled tiles. He was occupying +a raised seat covered with embroidered cloths, having +a number of his students and slaves ^landing on either +side- of him, and when I saw him I took him for a +king. He rose to greet me and made me sit next +him on the dais, after which we were served with food +and returned to the madrasa. The sultan of Birgi +was then at his summer quarters on a mountain close +by and on receiving news of me from the professor +sent for me. When I arrived with the professor he +sent his two sons to ask how we were, and sent me +a tent of the kind they call Khargdh^ It consifts of +wooden laths put together like a dome and covered +with pieces of felt; the upper part is opened to admit +the light and air and can be closed when required. +Next day the sultan sent for us and asked me about +the countries I had visited, then after food had been +served we retired. This went on for several days, the +sultan inviting us daily to join him at his meal, and +one afternoon visiting us himself, on account of the +respeff which the Turks show for theologians. At +length we both became weary of laying on this +mountain, so the professor sent a message to the +sultan that I wished to continue my Journey, and +received a reply that we should accompany the sultan +to his palace in the city on the following day. Next +day he sent an excellent horse and descended with us +to the city. On reaching the palace we climbed a +Jong flight of ^airs with him and came to a fine audience +hall with a basin of water in the centre and a bronxe +lion at each corner of it spouting water from its mouth. +Round the hall were daises covered with carpets, on +one of which was the sultan’s cushion. When we +reached this place, the sultan removed his cushion +and sat down beside us on the carpets. The Koran- +readers, who always attend the sultan’s audiences, +sat below the dais. After syrup and biscuits had been + +133 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +served I spoke thanking the sultan warmly and praising +the professor, which pleased the sultan a great deal. + +As we were sitting there, he said to me “ Have you +ever seen a ^lone that has fallen from the sky I +replied “ No, nor ever heard of one.” “ Well,” he +said, “a ^tone fell from the sky outside this town,” +and thereupon called for it to be brought. A great +black ^one was brought, very hard and with a glitter +in it, I reckon its weight was about a hundredweight. +The sultan sent for ^one breakers, and four of them +came and ^ruck it all together four times over with +iron hammers, but made no impression on it. I was +amazed, and he ordered it to be taken back to its place. +We ^ayed altogether fourteen days with this sultan. +Every night he sent us food, fruit, sweetmeats and +candles, and gave me in addition a hundred pieces of +gold, a thousand dirhems, a complete set of garments +and a Greek slave called Michael, as well as sending +a robe and a gift of money to each of my companions. +All this we owed to the professor Muhyi ad-Di'n — +may God reward him with good ! + +We went on through the town of Tira, which is in +the territories of this sultan, to Aya Suliiq [Ephesus], +a large and ancient town venerated by the Greeks. It +possesses a large church built of finely hewn ftones +each measuring ten or more cubits in length. The +cathedral mosque, which was formerly a church greatly +venerated by the Greeks, is one of the moft beautiful +in the world. I bought a Greek slave girl here for +forty dinars. Thence we went to Yazmir [Smyrna], +a large town on the coa^, moflly in ruins. The +governor ‘Omar, a son of the sultan of Aydin, came +to the convent to visit me and sent me a large hospi- +tality-gift. Afterwards he gave me a young Greek +slave named Nicolas. He was a generous and pious +prince^ and con^antly engaged in war with the +Christians. He had galleys, with which he used to + +134 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +make raids on the environs of Conilontinople the +Great, taking prisoners and booty and after spending +it ali in largesse he would make another raid. Eventu- +ally the Greeks, under the pressure of his attacks, +appealed to the Pope, who ordered the ChriAians of +Genoa and France to make an attack on him. They +did so, and the Pope sent an army from Rome, which +captured the port and the city in a night atuck. The +amir ‘Omar went down from the citadel and fought +them, but he died a martyrs death together with a +number of his troops. The ChriAians established +themselves in the city, but could not capture the +citadel on account of its Arcncth.’^ + +We travelled thence to Maghnisip [Magnesia, +now Manisa] where we prayed the FcAival Prayer [of +the Pilgrimage] in the company of Sultan Sardkhin. +Here my slave, on taking my horses to water along +with a slave belonging to one of my companions, +attempted to escape. The sultan sent in pursuit of +them, but as ever)*onc was occupied with the fcAival, +they were not found. They made for a town on the +coaA named Fdja belonging to the infidels, who +send a gift to the sultan every year, in return for which +he is content to leave them alone because of the +Arength of their city. Next day at noon some Turks +brought them back with the horses. The fugitives +had passed them the evening before, and becoming +suspicious, they had oucAioned them until they con- +fessed their design or escaping. We went on next +to Barghama which is in rums but has a Arong +fortress on the summit of a hill. Here we hired a +guide and travelled among high and rugged moun- +tains to the town of Balfkasrl. The sultan, whose +name is Dumdr Khdn, is a worthless person. It +was his father who built this town, and during the +son’s reign it attraAcd a vaA population of knaves, +for Like king, like people.” I visited him and he +>35 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +sent me a silk robe. In this town I bought a Greek +slave girl called Marguerite. + +We journeyed next to Bursd [Brusa], a great city +with fine bazaars and broad Greets, surrounded by +orchards and running springs. Outside it are two +thermal establishments, one for men and the other +for women, to which patients come from the moSl +distant parts. They lodge there for three days at +a hospice which was built by one of the Turkmen +kings. In this town I met the pious Shaykh ‘Abdullah +the Egyptian, a traveller, who went all round the +world, except that he never visited China, Ceylon, +the WeSt, or Spain or the Negrolands, so that in visit- +ing those countries I have surpassed him. The sultan +of Bursa is Orkhan Bek, son of ‘Othman Chfik. He +is the greatest of the Turkmen kings and the richeSl +in wealth, lands, and military forces, and possesses +nearly a hundred fortresses which he is continually +visiting for inspeftion and putting to rights. He +fights with the infidels and besieges them. It was +his father who captured Bursa from the Greeks, and +it is said that he besieged Yazni'k [Nicaea] for about +twenty years, but died before it was taken. His son +Orkhan besieged it twelve years before capturing it, +and it was there that I saw him.^® Yaznik lies in +a lake and can be reached only by one road like a +bridge admitting only a single horseman at a time. +It is in ruins and uninhabited except for a few men +in the Sultan’s service. It is defended by four walls +with a moat between each pair, and is entered over +wooden drawbridges. Inside there are orchards and +houses and fields, and drinking water is obtained from +wells. I ^ayed in this town forty days owing to the +illness of one of my horses, but growing impatient +at the delay I left it and went on with three of my +companions and a slave girl and two slave boys. W^e +had no one with us who could speak Turkish well + +136 + + + +TRAVELS OF IHN B ATT OTA + +enough to interpret for us, for the interpreter we had +left us at YazniL After leaving this town we crossed +a {»rcat river called Saoarf [Sangarius] by a ferp^. +This consiAcd of four Learns bound together with +ropes, on which the passengers arc placed, together +with their saddles and baggage; it is pulled across bv +men on the further bank, and the horses swim behind. +The same night we reached Kdwiya [Gheiva] and +lodged with one of the Brotherhood. As he neither +unoerrtood Arabic nor we Turkish, he sent for a +theologian, who spoke to us in Persian, and not +understanding us when we spoke Arabic, excused +himself to the brother saying hhdn *arabl kuhnd +*arahl fluto mlddnamy which means +“ These men speak ancient Arabic and I know only +modern Arabic." He said this only to shield himself +from disgrace, for they thought he knew Arabic, when +in realiw he did not know it. But this turned out +to be ot service to us, for the brother, thinking that +things were really as he had said, showed us the +greatedl consideration saying ** These men muil be +honourably treated, since they speak the ancient +Arabic tongue, which was the tongue of the Prophet +and his Companions." I did not understand ju£t +then what the theologian had said, but the sound of +his words ftuck in my memory and when I learned +the Persian language, I found out their meaning. + +We spent that night at the hospice, and the Brother +sent a guide with us to Yanija [Tarakli], which is +a fine large town. We Parted to look for the akhi's +hospice, and found one of those crazy darwfshes, so +I said to him “ Is this the akhfs hospice ?” He +replied na'am [" Yes and I felt so pleased at having +found someone who knew Arabic. But when I +tciled him further the cat was out of the bag, for +na^am was the only word of Arabic he knew. We +put up at the hospice, and one of the Audents brought +*37 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +food to us. The akhi himself was away, but we +became very friendly with this ^udent. Though he +knew no Arabic, he was very kind to us, and spoke +to the governor of the town, who gave me one of his +mounted men to take us to Kaynuk [Kevnik]. Kaynuk +is a small town in the territiries of Sultan Orkhan Bek, +inhabited by infidel [Christian] Greeks under Muslim +protedllon. There is only one household of Muslims +in the place, and that belongs to the governors of the +Greeks, so we put up at the house of an old infidel +woman. This was in the season of snow and rain. +She treated us well,^"^ and we spent that night in her +house. Now this town has no trees or vineyards; the +only thing cultivated there is saffron, and the old +woman brought us a great quantity of it, thinking +that we were merchants and would buy it from her. + +When we mounted our horses in the morning, the +horseman whom the member of the Brotherhood had +sent with us from Kayndk came to us and provided +us with another horseman to guide us to the town of +Muturni. The road was obliterated by a heavy fall +of snow the previous night, so our guide went on +ahead of us and we followed his tracks. About mid- +day we came to a village of Turkmens, who brought +us food, of which we ate. The horsenjan spoke to +them and one of them went on with us. He led us +over difficult and mountainous country, and a river +channel which we crossed more than thirty times. +When we got clear of this the guide asked us for +some money, but we said “ When we reach the town +we shall give you plenty.” He was not satisfied or +else did not understand, for he took a bow belonging +to one of our party and went off a little way, then +returned and gave the bow back. I then gave him +a little money and he took it and decamped, leaving +us with no idea which way to go and with no road +visible to us. About sunset we came to a hill on + +138 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +which we could make out the track by a quantity of +Clones on it. I was afraid that both I and my com- +panions might perish, as I expelled more snow to +fall and the place was uninhabited; if we dismounted +we were doomed and if we went on we did not know +the road. I had a good horse however, so I said to +myself “ If I reach safety perhaps I may contrive to +save my companions,” and commending them to God, +I set off. At length in the late evening I came to +some houses and said “ O God, grant they may be +inhabited.” I found that they were inhabited, and +God of his goodness led me to a religious house +belonging to some darwi'shes. When they heard me +speaking at the door, one of them came out; he was +a man whon; I knew, and I advised him to go out +with the darwfshes to deliver my companions. They +did so and set out with me, and so we all reached the +convent In safety, praise be to God Moft High for +our safety 1 Each darwfsh brought us what food he +could and our digress was removed. + +We set out next morning and reached Muturnf +[Mudurlu], where we fell in with a pilgrim who knew +Arabic. We besought him to travel with us to +Qa^lamiiniya, which is ten days’ journey from there; +I gave him an Egyptian robe of mine and some money +for current expenses, which he left with his family, +and assigned him a mount, promising him a good +reward. He turned out to be a wealthy man, but of +base charafter. We used to give him money for our +expenses, and he would take the bread that was left +over and buy spices, herbs and salt with it, and appro- +priate the money for these. I was told too that he +used to ileal part of the money that we gave him for +our expenses. We put up with him because of our +difficulties in not knowing Turkish, but things went +so far that we used to say to him in the evenings +“ Well, Hajjf, how much have you ilolen today ?” + +139 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +He would reply “ So much ” and we would laugh and +make the be^ of it. We came next to the town of +Biali, where we ^ayed at a convent of the Young +Brotherhood. What an excellent body of men these +are, how nobleminded, how unselfish and full of +compassion for the Granger, how kindly and affec- +tionate they are to him, how warm their welcome to +him ! A Granger coming to them is made to feel +as though he were meeting the deare^ of his own +folk. Next morning we travelled on to Garadi Biilf, +a large and fine town situated on a plain, with spacious +Greets and bazaars, but one of the colde^ towns in +the world. It is composed of several different quarters, +each inhabited by different communities, none of +which mixes with any of the others. . The sultan, +who is one of the less important rulers in this country, +is a fine-looking and upright man, but not liberal. +He came to visit us at the religious house and ^ayed +for an hour, asking me about my travels, and after- +wards sent me a saddled horse and a robe. + +We went on through a small town named Burlii^ +to Qa^amdniya, a very large and fine town, in which +goods are plentiful, and prices cheaper than I have- +ever seen elsewhere. We ^ayed in the convent of +a very deaf shaykh and I saw an a^onishing thing in +connexion with him. One of his students used to +write with his finger in the air or on the ground and +he would underhand and reply. Sometimes long +Tories were told him in this way. We remained here +about forty days. The sultan of Qa^Iamfiniya is the +illu^rious Sulayman Padshah, a man over seventy +years of age with a fine face and long beard, a lately +and venerable figure. I visited him in his reception +hall and he made me sit beside him and asked me +about my travels. He then commanded me to be +lodged near him, and. gave me on the same day a fine +white horse and a robe, besides assigning me money + +140 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTOTA + +for my expenses and forage. Later on he gave me +an assignation of wheat and barley from a village +half a day’s journey from the town, but I could not +find anyone to buy it because of the cheapness of +provisions, so I gave it to the pilgrim who was in our +company. It is a cuflom of this sultan’s to take his +seat in the audience chamber every afternoon; food is +served and the doors arc opened and no one, whether +townsman or nomad, stranger or traveller, is prevented +from partaking. + +From QaAamdniya we travelled to Sanub [Sinope], +a populous town combining ^rength with beauty. It +is surrounded by sea except on the ea5V, where there +is only one gate which no one is allowed to enter +without permission from the governor, Ibrahim Bek, +who is a son of Sulaymdn Pddshdh. Outside the town +there are eleven villages inhabited by Greek in6dcls. +The cathedral mosque at Sandb is a mo^ beautiful +building, conflruded by Sultan Parwdnah. He was +succeeded by his son Ghdzl Chelebi, at whose death +the town was seized by Sultan Sulaymdn. Ghdzi +Chelebf was a brave and audacious man, with a +peculiar capacity for swimming under water. He used +to sail out with his war vessels to fight the Greeks, +and when the fleets met and everyone was occupied +with the fighting he would dive under the water +carrying an iron tool with which he pierced the +enemy’s ships, and they knew nothing about it until +all at once they sank. + +We flayed at Sandb about forty days waiting for +the weather to became favourable for sailing to the +town of Qiram.^® Then we hired a vessel belonging +to the Greeks and waited another eleven days for a +favourable wind. At length we set sail, but after +travelling for three nights, we were beset in mid-sea +by a terrible tempedl. The dlorm raged with un- +paralleled fury, then the wind changed and drove us +141 + + + +SELECTIONS FROM THE + +back nearly to Sanub. The weather cleared and we +set out again, and after another temped like the +former, we at length saw the hills on the land. We +made for a harbour called Karsh [Kerch], intending +to enter it, but some people on the hill made signs +to us not to enter, and fearing that there were enemy +vessels in the port, we turned back along the coa^. +As we approached the land I said to the ma^er of the +ship “ I want to descend here,” so he put me ashore. +The place was in the Qipchaq desert which is green +and verdant, but flat and treeless. There is no fire- +wood so they make fires of dung, and you will see +even the higher* of them picking it up and putting +it in the skirts of their garments. The only method +of travelling in this desert is in waggons; it extends +for six months’ journey, of which three are in the +territories of Sultan Muhammad Uzbeg.^^ The day +after our arrival one of the merchants in our company +hired some waggons from the Qipchaqs who inhabit +this desert, and who are Chriftians, and we came to +Kafa, a large town extending along the sea-coaft, +inhabited by Chriftians, moftly Genoese, whose +governor is called Damdir [Demetrio].^® + +We ftayed at Kafa in the mosque of the Muslims. +An hour after our arrival we heard bells ringing on +all sides. As I had never heard bells before,^® I was +alarmed and bade my companions ascend the minaret +and read the Koran and issue the call to prayer. They +did so, when suddenly a man entered wearing armour +and weapons and greeted us. He told us that he was +the qadi of the Muslims there, and said “ When I +heard the reading and the call to prayer, I feared for +your safety and came as you see.” Then he went +away, but no evil befel us. The next day the governor +came to us and entertained us to a meal, then we went +round the city and found it provided with fine bazaars. +All the inhabitants are infidels. W^e went down to + +142 + + + +TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA + +the port and saw a magniHcent harbour with about +two hundred vessels in it, ships of war and trading +vessels, small and large, for it is one of the mo^ notable +harbours in the world. + +We hired a waggon and travelled to the town +of Qiram, which forms part of the territories of +Sultan Uzbeg Khdn and has a governor called Tuluk- +tumiir. On hearing of our arrival the governor sent +the imdm to me with a horse; he himself was ill, but +we visited him and he treated us honourably and gave +us gifts. He was on the point of setting out for the +town of Sard, the capital of the Khdn, so I prepared +to travel along with him and hired waggons for that +purpose. These waggons have four large wheels and +are drawn by two or more horses, or by oxen or camels, +according to their weight. The driver rides on one +of the horses and carries a whip or wooden goad. +On the waggon is put a light tent made of wooden +laths bound with dlrips of hide and covered with felt +or bIanket