In the Muslim calendar, Ramadan is the holiest month in the year and the pilgrimage to Mecca is a very important event. Muslims are great travellers. Ibn Battuta was the greatest. His journey to the Far East lasted twenty-four years!
Ibn Battuta was born in 1303 in the beautiful old city of tangier. In 1325, he decided to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. He left Tunis with a caravan. He went with the caravan to Alexandria. He saw the tall lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
He went to Cairo where he met Rodrigo, an Italian merchant. Rodrigo told Ibn Battuta about his trade with the Far East. This gave Ibn Battuta the idea of travelling to China. He visited Al Qods and Damascus. He eventually reached Mecca.
He went to Iraq, where he joined a caravan to India and arrived in Delhi. The Sultan asked Ibn Battuta to take a gift to the emperor of China. Ibn Battuta went to the port of Calcutta. He put his baggage on a ship. Before he could board the ship, a storm drove it out to sea. Ibn Battuta lost his baggage and the Sultan’s gift. But he decided to continue his journey.
He went to the Maldive Islands, Sri Lanka and Sumatra. He then went to Beijing, in China. He did not meet the Emperor. He returned to the Maghreb.
