An insight into the religious pilgrimage of Ibn Battuta through Black Africa through analysis of his journals.
Ibn Batutta was a self-proclaimed scholar of the fourteenth century who traveled extensively throughout sub-Saharan Africa under the auspice of Muslim religion. This paper examines his detailed journal, an account of his experiences traveling through various medieval cities. It discusses how the text of Ibn Battuta stands as a relevant work from an autobiographical standpoint, as well as a study of regional cultural diversity among Islamic communities and shows how it gives an understanding of historical information about the size and resources of ancient cities, trade relationships and the predominant commodities of value.
“The journals also discuss the danger of storms at sea and seasonal conditions that limited the availability of this mode of transportation. The rigorous and perilous nature of distant travel is emphasized in the text and endured often by Ibn Battuta throughout his life. Although he expresses a modicum of regret at his abstinence from a stationary life, his descriptions of events and beautiful places belie his propensity for wanderlust. “This desert is bright, full of sunlight, ones chest is dilated, the soul finds good in it.”(p.35) ”