The Traveler Ibn Battutah Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rihla

His book was called "Rihla" or "Travels". It describes his travels throughout Asia and Africa. A fuller title for this work is "A Masterpiece to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling," Based on another's suggestion, Ibn Battutah narrated an account of his journey to Ibn Juzayy, a scholar. This narration would become the "Travels".

Ibn Battutah's name is also a matter of interest as it is an abbreviation of his full name (I have seen sources that spell Battuah with and without the "h"). The full name by which he is usually named is Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah or "Father of Abdullah ("worshipper of Allah"), Praiseworthy son of Battutah". Even this is an abbreviation of Shams al-Din Abu'Abdallah Muhammad ibn'Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf Lawati al-Tanji ibn Battutah, how he is named in the "Rihla".

Answer: 73,000

His travels took him to portions of Africa, Europe, and Asia. They took place over approximately 30 years (1224-1254). By comparison the Chinese Admiral Zheng voyaged about 31,000 miles and Italian merchant Marco Polo traveled roughly 15,000 miles.

The majority of Ibn Battuta's travels took place in areas that in the 14th century would have been considered the "Islamic world". As the crow flies, he could have circled the earth at the equator nearly three times.

Answer: Morocco

Ibn Battutah was born in 1304 in the city of Tangier, which is located in the modern nation of Morocco. In the 14th century, Tangier was under the control of the Marinid Sultanate. His journeys began at about the age of 21 when he left home. He returned to Morocco from about 1336 until 1348, when he left briefly and returned the next year.

After a final voyage to Spain and West Africa, he returned to Morocco and it is likely that he spent the rest of his life there.

Answer: England

Ibn Battutah did not travel as far north as England. The portions of his journey in Europe were predominantly on the Balkan Peninsula and other portions of southeastern Europe. His travels through Africa took place in two parts, first in North Africa and East Africa and later in West Africa.

His journeys in Asia took place in a broad band from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

Answer: Judge

He was the Grand Gadi of Delhi, a post which he held for several years. Ibn Battuta's family included a number of legal scholars. It is believed that he himself had studied at a Madhhab, or Islamic jurisprudence school. Personally, to me it appears that Islamic belief and Islamic law played an important role in shaping how he saw the people and places that he encountered on his journeys.

Answer: No

Ibn Battutah usually traveled with groups (often a caravan) in order to reduce the risk of attack from bandits or robbers. This was true whether he was journeying to or from his primary destinations or on side voyages. This included his journeys from a place to which he would return later. In addition, Ibn Battutah's travels included long stretches by land and by sea.

Answer: He was performing the Hajj

Ibn Battutah's initial journey (1325-1327) took him across North Africa in the direction of Mecca. One of the Five Pillars of Islam is that a devout Muslim should, if possible, make a religious pilgrimage, the hajj, at least once in his or her lifetime to the city of Mecca. From his description, Ibn Battutah appeared to have lived in the city two or three years once he arrived there.

While Ibn Battuta may have taken longer than some who made the pilgrimage, the hajj in pre-modern times was often a journey of months at a time when traveling twenty miles by land was often a full day's task.

Answer: Yes

In the early 1330s, Ibn Battutah visited the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul), still capital of the declining Byzantine Empire. He described meeting Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos. He also visited the famed Hagia Sophia, then an Orthodox Christian cathedral. Overall, he spent about one month in the city before traveling to Central Asia.

Answer: Great Wall

Ibn Battutah attempted to ask a number of people he met in China about the location of the Great Wall. However, the people he spoke to had not seen it nor knew anyone who had. The Great Wall, located in northern China, stretched (and portions still stretch) over thousands of miles. It was built over the course of several centuries.

In his account, Ibn Battutah described traveling on the Grand Canal in a boat. He spent two weeks staying at the home of a merchant in Guangzhou. Hangzhou was described by Ibn Battuta as one of the largest cities he had ever visited. He described the portion of the city where Muslims lived.

Answer: He felt they displayed some good qualities and some bad

Ibn Battutah's impression of the people of Mali was very mixed. On one hand, he had great praise for the piety of the people, mentioning their faithfulness in attending daily prayers and the skill shown by some in memorizing and reciting portions of the Quran. On the other hand, he felt there was too much interaction between unrelated men and women.

He also was very critical about the way the women dressed by showing too much of their bodies.