Catalan Atlas (detail), 1370s x 1380s

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, This image: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b55002481n/f7.item

In 1325, Ibn Battuta, a native of Tangier, decided to go on the Haj to Mecca. Not an unusual thing for a North African to do… except that he didn’t return home for 24 years! Armed with a degree in Islamic jurisprudence, he soon learned that those credentials, combined with his personal charm could take him a very long way.  

Eventually he managed to visit almost the whole of Dar-al-Islam (The Abode of Islam) - i.e. all the way from North Africa, through the Middle East, to India and, eventually, China. Even then he wasn’t done. A long stay in what is today Indonesia preceded his return… which only led to more travels!

By the end of his life he had also travelled south through both East and West Africa, and visited Moorish Spain to boot. In total, his was a journey of 73,000 miles, and he wrote it all up in a book entitled A Masterpiece to those who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and The Marvels of Travelling. 

Whether you’re travelling or not this summer, it’s a journey you can’t afford to miss!

RJW F2425 Online (via Zoom)

A 5-hour short course, delivered via 2 x 2½-hour sessions on consecutive Mondays (12 & 19 August).

£40 (individual registration); £72 (for two people sharing one screen).