move around and enjoy the world
The urge to see new places and new people is a natural thing in almost all the human beings. The human mind is full of curiosity, and wants to enjoy new horizons, and new landscapes. This is how tourism developed along with the progress of civilization. People feel bored to remain in one place and like to go to some other cities, or countries, to get rid of their boredom, and return feeling rejuvenated. Those who believe in religion find peace of mind by visiting some pilgrim centers, or shrines.
The tourist comes across new and wonderful places, and encounters strange people with different customs and beliefs. He meets people of different languages and cultures. He sees the diversity of different religions and their followers. His mental horizon expands and he feels that this world is a place of diversity, but in it lies the unity of the mankind.This attitude helps in forging the bond of friendship with the other communities of the world.
Tips for the newbie traveler
1.If you want to enjoy your tour,travel like a poor
man,just enough to spend on your journey.It is not the money which makes your travel interesting,but the leisure which you have.Travel light to make your journey comfortable and enjoyable.
2.The oft-beaten track is the best way.Try to reach the heart of the country by the short-cuts; this way you can save a lot of time and money.
3.Try to travel by train as much as possible; because it takes you to places which you may not see if you travel on the highway.The river track usually goes through river valleys and the most difficult but beautiful terrains,which you will miss on the highways.
3.Keep a diary to note what you observe and write down at the end of the day.
Top Stories
The tourist comes across new and wonderful places, and encounters strange people with different customs and beliefs. He meets people of different languages and cultures. He sees the diversity of different religions and their followers. His mental horizon expands and he feels that this world is a place of diversity, but in it lies the unity of the mankind.This attitude helps in forging the bond of friendship with the other communities of the world.
Tips for the newbie traveler
1.If you want to enjoy your tour,travel like a poor
man,just enough to spend on your journey.It is not the money which makes your travel interesting,but the leisure which you have.Travel light to make your journey comfortable and enjoyable.
2.The oft-beaten track is the best way.Try to reach the heart of the country by the short-cuts; this way you can save a lot of time and money.
3.Try to travel by train as much as possible; because it takes you to places which you may not see if you travel on the highway.The river track usually goes through river valleys and the most difficult but beautiful terrains,which you will miss on the highways.
3.Keep a diary to note what you observe and write down at the end of the day.
Top Stories
Tourist has no destination
Travel is as old as the human race.In the early stage of the civilizationpeople moved from place to place in search of new lands for cultivation and
pastures for their cattle,to meet their ever increasing demand,with the growth in population.
With the development of civilization travel also became a necessity.Traders
had to travel to the far off lands in search of markets for their goods .
Travel was not confined to land only.It expanded on the seas also .
The Renaissance which opened the doors to new ideas and technology ,
completely revolutionized the thinking process and attitude of man
towards many things.The spirit of adventure was ignited and daring souls
set out in search of new lands and people.The new era of discovery had
started.This brought about a tremendous change in the technology which
gave a boost to the means of travel also.Vascodi Gami,Marco Polo,Ibne
Battuta,Columbus are some of the well known travelers who roamed the
world and discovered new lands ,found new people and new markets
for their countries.
With the beginning of the jet-age travel has become more easier and
comfortable.Be it on the road,sea or air,it has totally changed the concept
of travel, Unlike in the past you can roam the whole world in a few weeks or
months depending upon the time you would like to stay in the different
places.Massive travel by businessmen,pleasure seekers,students,scholars
has created a new travel industry which has immensely benefited the
education,hotel,tourism and other business sectors.This has given boost to
the local businesses even in the poor and developing countries,thereby
raising the standard of life of the people.
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Ibn Battuta, The king of Travelers
Moroccan by birth, Ibn Battuta left for Mecca on pilgrimage in the fourteenth century, two centuries before Columbus set sail on his voyage of discovery. Ibn Battuta traveled for almost three decades, logging seventy five thousand miles, roaming through forty four countries, in today's atlas , before returning to his native land .His journey took him to the far corners of the Muslim world, from North Africa to as far as China.Ibn Battuta's full name was Sheik Abu Abdallah Mohammed ibn Abdallah ibn Mohammed ibn Ibrahim Al Lawati, as recorded in his 630 years old Arabic travel book, preserved at the Bibliotheque Nationale , Paris.
Tangier, the native place of Ibn Battuta was situated on the Northern coast of Africa facing the Mediterranean Sea. It was a hub of maritime business, and a meeting place for sailors, soldiers and merchants from all over the world. They brought with them stories of their adventures, and interesting tales of foreign lands. Ibn Battuta was perhaps thrilled to hear those wonderful stories and the wanderlust in him was fully aroused. He had hardly finished his studies when he set out for the pilgrimage to Mecca, some 3000 miles away. He joined different caravans and traveled across today's Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, to reach the coastal city of Alexandria in Egypt. This was tiresome journey for a boy who had to endure the harsh climate and the hazards of a long journey, with robbers and bandits roaming around in search of unwary travelers.
This was the first leg of his journey which was to mark him as a great travel,which took nearly ten months.
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Ibn Battuta in Egypt
Ibn Battuta was enchanted to see the wonderful places in Alexandria, which was built in 332 B.C, by Alexander the great, a young and ambitious warrior from Macedonia in Greece. He ascended the throne at less than 20 years of age, and set out with a highly trained army to conquer the world. The city was built on the Mediterranean Sea coast, and the only port for the Egyptians to have access to the sea. Though Ibn Battuta hailed from a country, equally civilized and rich in heritage, he was blown away by the grandeur of this ancient city. H visited the light house, one of the wonders of the world, but then it was in ruins, the bustling port which was the center of the maritime business.Ibn Battuta was very fond of seeking the company of the mystics, where ever he went to seek their blessings, In a village near the river Nile, he met a mystic by name Sheik Abu Abdulla, and stayed in his tiny house as his guest for the night. He had a dream, in which he saw that he was carried by a huge bird. First the bird flew toward the holy city of Mecca, then changed its direction to fly toward Yemen, and finally landed, after a long flight, in a greenish dark country. He mentions his dream to the holy man, who to his amazement says that he already knew about his dream. The Sheik predicts that Ibn Battuta would travel to the countries of the orient. He gave him some money and provision for his journey, before bidding him good bye, with his blessings.
Ibn Battuta reached Cairo, the jewel of the Nile. This city was built by the Fatamid caliphs in 969 A.D. At the time Ibn Battuta visited, it was under the rule of the powerful Mamluk sultans, who had dealt a crushing blow to the Mongols of the The Golden Horde. The same Mongols who had ravaged great cities in China,Korea,Persia,Russia and Turkestan, in the 13th and 14th century A.D,destroying great civilization built over centuries by the great kings and emperors, with so much of passion and love, with the blood and sweat of thousands of artisans.
Learn more about this great warrior
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Ibn Battuta would have overjoyed with this Dish TV .
Had it existed at that time
The Traveler arrives in Lebnan and Palestine
Ibn Battuta resumed his journey toward Mecca and reached the Red Sea. The holy city was hardly two hundred miles across the sea. But to his dismay he found that all the ships and boats were destroyed in a local violent riot. There was no way out for him other than to travel overland, a circuitous journey for a man eager to reach his destination. Frustrated, he returned to Cairo to join a pilgrim caravan bound for Damascus, in Syria. They traveled across the harsh Sinai desert and entered Palestine through the seacoast town of Gaza, which he describes as well populated oasis, but with out any walls surrounding it, for protection. He visited Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) (Hazrat Massih for Muslims).He also visited Hebron and Jerusalem which are equally sacred for Jews, Christians and Muslims. He prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the golden dome, sparkling in the sun. Muslims believe that the holy prophet Hazrath Mohammed (peace be upon him) ascended the heaven on his nightly journey, called "Meraj" from the rock which lies beneath the dome. This mosque was originally built by the second caliph Hazrath Umar (may God be pleased with him), using timber. The Ummaid caliph Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan wanted to build a grand mosque at the same place to commemorate the Meraj. He commissioned the mosque, but did not live to see it completed. His son and successor Al-Walid gave the final touches to this grand mosque in 705 AD.Ibn Battuta traveled through the cities situated on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea: Acre, Tyre , Beirut and Tripoli, enjoying the beauty of these historical sites and the landscapes; the land once a stronghold of so many warring people ,the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Romans , Arabs, who fought for its domination because of its strategic location. He visited the other cities of the Levant; Hamah, Aleppo, Antioch and Latakia. Then passing through the beautiful Lebanon Mountains, reached Damascus. There he joined a caravan that was going to Mecca. The caravan plodded for 55 days across the harsh Arabian Desert and the rocky mountains of Hijaz, and reached the holy city.
Ibn Battuta in the holy land
.Ibn Batutta was thrilled to be in the holy
city.He was fascinated by the sight of
the pilgrims coming from different parts
of the world.They spoke different languages.
Their costumes were diverse, but all believing
in the universal religion of Islam.
He saw the black Negroes from Africa,
the white skinned from Persia and
Turkey.The colored people from the
Asian subcontinent.The yellow skinned
from the far east.But all the males
clad in the same white cloth in
two pieces,wrapped around the body.
This is the common dress for the pilgrims
called "Ihram",they wear till the completion
of the rituals of the Hajj.
Ibn Battutta performed all the rituals
and thanked God for granting him this
privilege.
During his stay in the holy land he
the opportunity to meet the ulemas
(the religious scholars) from different
school of thoughts ,and enjoyed
the hospitality of the Meccans,whom he
described as kind and generous.
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Ibn Battuta in Baghdad
Ibn Battuta in BaghdadHe had set out from his native place with the intention of performing the hajj.
But the travel bug was urging him to explore new horizons.
While in Mecca he had heard wonderful tales from the pilgrims about the
other countries and their people which whetted his passion to go beyond
Mecca. He made the necessary preparations for this exploratory journey and
joined a caravan going toward Baghdad .On the way he visited An Najjaf,
the most holy city for the Shiite Muslims ,after Mecca and Madina.
And had a glimpse of Basra ,then famous for it's dates. He met a lot of people
on way before reaching Baghdad.
Baghdad was built by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur in 766 A.D on the
banks of the river Tigris. More than one hundred thousand artisans were engaged
on the project. The city was circular in shape and raised on either side of the river.
with four doors in the walls of the fort. It took four years for completion.
In due course it became a jewel in the crown of the Muslim world.
The Abbasid caliphs were great patrons of learning and art ,and encouraged
scholars who came from distant lands.
The spirit of scientific inquiry was ignited. New sciences and arts were developed
Many of the scientific works were rendered in Arabic from Greek and Roman texts.
The city boasted of many libraries .Historians say when the Mongols ransacked the city,in the 13th
A.D, they destroyed all the libraries and threw
thousands of books into the river, changing
the color of the water to inky.
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The whirling dervishes of Turkey
Ibn Battuta in TurkeyIbn Battuta returned to Mecca for a second hajj ,with a heavy heart.
He was saddened by the scenes of devastation the city of Baghdad
presented to him. The tales of grandeur of the city, which he had heard was a thing of the past.
There was nothing left of this beautiful city,
once called "the bride of the cities"in the world,
except the sparkling river Tigris,which witnessed
the ravages the city suffered, at the hands of the
Mongols, a century ago.
He stayed in Mecca for two years to study the Holy Scriptures and learn from the great scholars,
discussing the various topics of theology.
But his feet were itching for more travel
and new horizons. The travel bug in him was smiting him to move.He was restless and feeling like a caged
bird.He wanted to break it and fly into the open
sky.He could no longer control his passion and set out from the nearby port of Jeddah
to the Yemen and the East African countries.
He returned to Mecca for his third Hajj, after
Journeying through Tanzania, Oman and Bahrain
.
During the Hajj Ibn Battuta met pilgrims from the Indian subcontinent
and heard tales of the generosity of the rulers, their patronage to the
scholars and the men of piety. He heard about the grand court of the
sultanate of Delhi,and how it's ruler Mohamed bin Tughlak ,himself a scholar
and a philosopher, encouraged scholars ,by giving them generous
stipend and other lavish gifts. He had gathered in his court, men of
learning from different and far off countries..
Ibn Battuta himself a scholar felt the frenzy in him and decided
to visit India . He loathed sea journey, and so decided to travel
overland across the countries of the Central Asia. His first break of journey was the ancient city, Anatolia, in Turkey. He was all praise for the Turks for
their kindness and generosity. They offered him many gifts and
requested for his blessings. They were very much impressed
by his knowledge of the Quran, and the Hadith of the holy
prophet(peace be on him)
His next stop was Konya , the city of Maulana Jallaluddin Rumi
the famous Sufi poet, and the author of the world famous book
of sufi poetry called Masnavi,in the Persian
language. He founded the
sufi order,now known as the whirling dervishes.
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Ibn Battuta ,a guest of the Byzantine Emperor
Ibn Battuta waited at Senope,a fortified port onthe Black Sea,for almost two months to proceed to
Russian Steppes.He boarded a ship bound toward
Crimea,and after a nightmarish journey reached
Feodosiya,a prosperous town inhabited by the
Christian Genoas.He was treated very well by
them,and once he was invited by the ruler of
Feodosiya, to a special banquet in his honor.
Continuing his journey Ibn Battuta, entered the
desolate Russian steppes,the domain of the
powerful Mongol emperor, OzBek Khan,and grand
son of Chengis Khan of the The Golden Horde
Ibn Battuta was impressed by the grandeur of the
court of this great ruler and enjoyed the royal
hospitality,and traveled in his company in style.
He describes the nomadic caravan as" a city
moving on giant wheels",with kitchens,bazaars
and mosques in it.It was a floating city with
all the facilities needed for a joyful life.
One of the wives of the emperor was the daughter
of the Byzantine emperor Andronicus.She had planned
for a journey home, to Constantinople,the capital
city of the Byzantine empire.Ibn Battuta,who was
very eager to visit the great Christian empire,
joined her caravan.For him it was a providential
opportunity to see a new land.In those times it
was almost impossible for a Muslim to visit
Constantinople,as the Muslim Turks were at war
with the Byzantine empire,and the city was under
siege for many many years.
Ibn Battuta had the honor of meeting the emperor
in person.He narrated his personal impressions of
the holy cities to him,in particular of
Bethlehem and Jerusalem,both sacred to all the
followers of the three faiths,ie Jews,Christians
and the Muslims.The emperor was very pleased to
hear it and bestowed on him a robe of honor.
And under the royal protection Ibn Battuta was
taken on a tour of the city.He visited the famous
churches and the monasteries, and was blown away
by the fair colored people of this city,and the
beauty of the Roman architecture,which was the
accumulated treasure of many centuries of hard
work, and a result of the passion, the Romans had
for building architectural masterpieces in their
domain.
Ibn Battuta enjoyed the royal hospitality for
five weeks, and then returned to New Sarai, the
capital of the great Uzbek Khan.
Constantinople; the city of world's desires
The pride of the Byzantine empire
Constantinople, the city of world's desire, was built on the site of the ancient Greek port of Byzantine in 330 AD, by Constantine the great. As the legend says, the Greeks who came and settled there in the long past, named the city after their leader Byzas. Constantinople remained the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, which extended from the Caucasus to the Atlantic and from Crimea to the Sahara, for more than thousand years, till it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, in 1453. The city was renamed as Istanbul by the Turks and continued as their seat of governance till the early twentieth century, when the Young Turks under Atatürk staged a coup and dethroned the Ottoman caliph. The new zealots declared Turkey a republic and shifted the capital to Ankara. Though Constantinople lost it's status as the capital city, it continue to attract the attention of the tourists, and the lovers of art and architecture, because of its glorious past, with it's amazing buildings, a legacy of the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empire.Constantine and Justinian triggered a revolution ,which changed the course of history of the Byzantine Empire. From a pagan state it became a Christian state; a center of the Christian spirituality. At that time the Christians were a minority, persecuted for their Christian beliefs. They were the most suppressed lot in the empire. Most of their priests had to flee and take shelter in the caves of the mountains and forests to escape the wrath of the Romans. They prayed in hiding and could not perform their religious openly.All this changed whem Constantine embraced Christianity and after addressing more than 250 bishops at a religious meeting at Nicaea ,and declared Christianity as the state religion. They formulated a religious code called Nicene Creed for all the Christians.
And those who did not believe in that were declared as heretics. This marks the beginning of the story of the Christendom, which had an impact on the other countries of the world, particularly Europe. And gradually the other countries too came into the fold of Christianity. Constantinople became the focal point of Christianity.
Constantine was now a man with a new zeal. He wanted to do whatever he could to propagate this new faith. He had developed a passion to build new churches and monasteries. He wanted to build a great church in his empire, and dedicate it to Haghia Sophia. A church that no body should surpass in the future as a magnificent and grand building. He selected a site on the foundation of a church destroyed in a riot. He ordered his engineers to bring the best materials for this building. They brought materials from all over the world; Egypt, France, Lebanon and Libya.
Historians say that many of the massive pillars that are erected in the basilica were shipped from Ba'albek(Lebanon).It so happened that Justinian,
who became emperor after the death of Constantine,ordered the demolition of a pagan temple called"The Temple of the Sun" in his drive to root out paganism from his empire.The pillars thus found
from the site were brought to Constantinople, to be used in the construction of this church. After years of toil by thousands of artisans, this grand structure emerged as one of the most beautiful and massive church in the world.
Constantinople, within half a century, became an envy of the other cities. Its population swelled to more than half a million, speaking seventy five languages. There were Greeks, Syrians, Persians, and horde of others. Trade got encouragement; and merchants from all over the world came to Constantinople to sell their ware. Here, goldsmiths, silversmiths, jewelers, ivory carvers, and silk weavers found an eager and ready market for their products. The secure environment of a stable and powerful empire gave a tremendous boost for the rapid development of this great city. By the fifth century it boasted of five imperial places, and nine princely palaces. There were eight public and more than 150 private bath-houses. The church too did not lag behind in this field. More than hundred monasteries were built within the walls of Constantinople for the monks.
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Ibn Battuta in Turkistan
From New Sarai Ibn Battuta traveled across the desert of Uzbekistan and reached Bukhara and Samarkand.The signs of devastation wrought byChange Khan and his successors were still visible in these once beautiful cities. The people still wore the melancholy look, and the pains of the last one hundred years showed in their faces.They heard
from their fathers and grand fathers, the tales
of cruelty and torture the invaders inflicted on
the inhabitants , the towers of skulls of the slain men ,women and children erected by them. .Nevertheless the people did not forget their moral duty of extending their arm of hospitality .Ibn Battura never felt that he was a stranger amongst these people.
From Samarkand Ibn Battuta crossed the Amur Darya
in the south, and as usual it was his traveling habit, took the longer route of Meshed and Neyshapur in Persia ,then to the desert plateau of north Afgahanistan. He camped in Kunduz, a small
town, to make preparation to cross the snowy treacherous passes of Hindu Kush and the
desert of Sind (now a province of Pakistan)
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Ibn Battuta at the court of the Delhi Sultan
Ibn Battuta reached Multan, a prosperous town inSind and with the generous help of the local
traders bought enough gifts for the Sultan of
Delhi. He sent a message in advance to him about
his intention of meeting him. He set out in the company of some Persian noblemen,and their
families toward Delhi.On way the caravan was attacked by the highway robbers,but
the armed guards drove them away after a
fight.
Ibn Battuta was received by the eccentric sultan
Mohammed Bin Tughlak , in his palace which was
built on thousand pillars.The king was seated
on a throne, studded with precious gems and
diamonds.He was attended by his ministers
courtiers,and slaves.In the background ,stood
his two hundred armored body guards,sixty horses
in royal harness,and fifty gigantic elephants,
dressed in brocade and gold ornaments.
Ibn Battuta describes the king, as pious,generous
but eccentric.Other historians are of the opinion
that he was a great scholar,well versed in
Philosophy,Mathematics and theology,but unpredictable.He was also very hostile to the
mystics.
Ibn Battuta was a man for all seasons,he not only
survived, but served as a judge for seven
long years in his kingdom.Once he had a very narrow
escape after meeting a mystic, by spending almost
five months in confinement,as a punishment.As luck
would have it, the king after some time became kind
toward him.Not only he ordered his release from
the house arrest, but appointed Ibn Battuta as his
ambassador to China.
He was ordered to proceed to China in 1341, with
one hundred Arabian thoroughbreds,scores of
concubines,dancing girls,hundreds of bales of fine
brocade, along with gold and jewelry.One thousand
picked horsemen were to escort the royal caravan.
This great caravan reached the port of Calicut,
on the western coast of south India,called Malabar,
after a long journey.After resting for a few days
Ibn Battuta hired a few Chinese ships ,with one
thousand crew for the long journey to China.
But bad luck was in store for this royal caravan.
On Friday, when he was to set sail toward China,
a very violent hurricane suddenly struck the port
city,destroying all the ships,drowning all men,
animals, and the royal gifts in the turbulent sea.
He was left on the seashore, with a few coins in
his pocket.His dream of visiting the great China
was dashed to pieces.
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Ibn Battuta in Maldive Islands
After the Shipwreck,Ibn Battuta was alone,stranded in a strange land.He very well
knew the unpredictable nature of the
Delhi sultan.He was afraid to report the
disaster to him in person,lest he would
be imprisoned or put to death for
the unfortunate incident.Ultimately he
decided to continue the journey to China
on his own.
He first traveled to the Maldive Islands,
situated some 400 Miles to the southern
tip of India,in the Indian Ocean.Male was
the capital of this group of islands.
A lady by name Khadija was the ruler of
this archipelago.Ibn Battuta was treated
royally by this queen,and when she came
to know of his scholarship,and his adventurous
travels,she appointed him as the judge of
Male.He married the daughter of a noble and
settled for the time being.
He observed that the ladies do not cover their
bodies fully,but tie only a loincloth.He,as a
judge,tried his best to dissuade them form this
practice,but could not succeed.
The males were highly virile,perhaps because
of the coconut and fish,being a part of their diet.
In his spare time he used to study their social
customs and their culture.He made a thorough
study of the fish,the trees and the environment.
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Ibn Battuta in the countries of the Far East
From the Maldives Island Ibn Battuta sailed toward Sumatra Island, now a part of Indonesia, only to be plundered by the pirates. Somehow he managed to reach this island port. The island was ruled by the king Malik al-zahir,who ,Ibn Battuta says was very pious and loved by his subjects. From Sumatra Ibn Battuta sailed to Muljawa and Tawalasi (Scholars have not pinpointed where exactly these two places exist in the present day Atlas.Ibn Battuta continued his sea voyage and landed at Cathay on the southeastern coast of China, a short distance away from Taiwan.He was very much impressed by the size of the port and the large no of vessels docked in the harbor. Islam had already reached China, through the Muslim Traders, more than three hundred years before Ibn Battuta set his foot on the Chinese soil. He visited a mosque, which the local people said, was the first mosque built in China. He was struck by wonder at the safety; the travelers enjoyed in this land .They could travel to any place without fear of being robbed. He was amazed to see that silk dresses were most commonly used by the people including the priests, and the poor. He was all praise for the Chinese porcelain pottery with its delicate structure and intricate artwork.
But he was aghast at the eating habits of the Chinese. The flesh of dogs, swine, cats and reptiles was their favorite dish which they very much relished.
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Ibn Battuta returns home
Now Ibn Battuta, who had left his home town more than two decades ago, was longing to return to his native place,and see his mother, who by that time had become aged. He was away from his home land for such a long time, which was quite abnormal for a normal person in those days. But he was not a normal person, in the sense his personality and characters were strong enough, to sustain him on the road for decades; the patience and perseverance he displayed in difficult times during his journey across scores of countries,marked him as a special person. But ultimately he was a human with emotions. He could no longer control his urge to return home.He set out on his return journey in a vessel heading towards India. He has not written much about his return journey, probably due to the fact he followed the same familiar route on which he had already traveled and wrote about. On way he visited the holy city of Mecca, and performed the rites. There was an outbreak of plague in Syria and Lebanon, so he made a detour to avoid it. But on reaching Morocco, he found plague had ravaged whole families, and his aged mother too had become it's victim. She had died just a few months before his return.
As a mark of respect and courtesy, he called on the sultan of Morocco, and mentioned about his journey. The sultan was excited to hear his tales of travel and adventure, and appreciated him for his achievement. After some rest the sultan desired that Ibn Battuta undertake one more journey for the sake of his country. He was assigned the task of defending the fort of Gibraltar from the Spanish armies bent on taking it back from the Moors. Ibn Battuta sailed across the strait ,to Gibraltar with the volunteer's army and when the crisis was over, he visited the cities of Granada and Malaga, which were great centers of learning and seats of a highly
developed and rich civilization
A traveler needs rest before resuming his journey
Ibn Battuta's last journey .
Ibn Battuta rested for three years in his hometown to get rid of the weariness of a quarter century of travel. He was tired to the bones, and along with age was also overtaking him. But after a rest of three years the travel bug in him began to smite. The traveler in him could not slumber for long, and urged him to set out on a new adventure. To his delight the sultan of Morocco too wanted him to undertake a journey of the Sahara, since his country had business interests in this desolate land. And this was one part of the Muslim worldIbn Battuta had not visited in his journey. He set out in the company of a caravan from Sijilmasa toward Terhazza,(now in Mali) where salt was extracted from the mines. The caravan plodded for 25 days in the heat and dust storms of the Sahara to reach their destination.
Ibn Battuta met Mansa Sulayman,the king of Mali, who was a miser in contrast to his grandfather, a very generous king .It was said that while on a pilgrimage to Mecca ,he gave in charity more than a ton of gold coins upsetting the gold market in Cairo. Ibn Battuta laments about the poor hospitality he got from Mansa Sulayman. But Ibn Battuta was impressed by the religious fervor of the people. Every hamlet usually had a small mosque, surrounded by huts. The people, though poor, were always dressed in washed clothes.
But he was very upset with the dress code of the women. He was embarrassed to see them not wearing any clothes to cover their upper body. They did not feel shame to come before the strangers in the same style.
Ibn Battuta returned to Morocco after completing his mission entrusted by the sultan.
Now the sultan ordered that Ibn Battuta put in writing the details of his journey for the posterity. He was assisted in the assignment, by a famous Spanish poet Juzayy, and both worked for nearly two years to complete this amazing masterpiece of travel book.
Arab historians say that Ibn Battuta died in 1369, at the age of 64, after serving as a judge near Fez. But nobody knows where his last resting place is. Some believe he was buried in Tangier. But he must be very happy in his grave, wherever it is, that he belongs not to any particular land but to all those countries he roamed, in his journeys, and admired.
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Tour of Maldive island
Tom und Bill Urlaub Malediven [RTL]
Tom and Bill on their vacation at the Malediven. I know it's sick to make pictures of them on their holidays. but.. you know. i didn't make the vid.. and i only wanted to share it with you.. soo. don't be mad on me or soo. cause i didnt do it. Here is the translation. My english is really bad. and i hope you understand what i wrote down.: [Wife] Dream weather, blue water, water of 38 degrees, white beaches, palmtrees, cocktails, that's the situation were Bill and Tom from Tokio Hotel are in right now. On the Maldive Islands is it really good for them. Paparazzi found the Twins who are, unstyled and without make-up, not that easy to recognize. [Pictures] Just chilling out and that also in a Paradise. Cool water of the Indian Ocean. Bill and Tom, almost 8000 km away from their hometown Magdeburg [Germany]. The rock-twins make it themselves cool and easy. In the same bathing trunks, ofcourse alcoholic cocktails and a cigarett in their mouths. [Man] After Bill and Tom celebrated Christmas at their home, they took the airplane to the Maldive Islands and brought through at a nice place and now they are relaxing at the beach. [Concert] After the hard months with a new album, the Europe-tour, 40 concerts at 40 different places. 'After 2007 they are Really in for a vacation on the Maldives Islands' told us by Tokio Hotel [Boys] Bill: We go on vacation at the end of the year. We really want to go! Interviewer: where? Bill: On a little island far far away. [Pictures] But not without the twins. At their holiday they are double. [Man] Both of them are One heart, one Soul. Nobody can get between. Like... now again the vacation with eachother. They are really unbreakable and that's also perfectly obvious with Tokio Hotel. [Pictures] Now they have to reload their battery's without the screaming fans. But luckly not without anyone noticed it. Because.. in their bathing tranks the twins have a really good figure. Lots and lots of muscles which Tom trained himself. And also like his brother, everything seems right again. Rumours about Anorexic, are whiped away with these photo's. {Man] Bill has more bodyfat now. Tom trained and now he has muscles and that makes a really good impression. And.. yeah.. they now look more masculine. I think the girly fans will be Very Happy! [Pictures] That the 'new' masculine image also belongs on this vacation, will have the girly fans Bill and Tom very [something] when they start end January with their European tour and after that with their USA tour, and all reloaded.
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AbdullahMuhammad wrote...
Very interesting. Ibn Battuta is a very interesting person. His life and journeys typify the peaceful relationships Muslims and Non-Muslims enjoyed in the past. This is what I would like to see the world return to.
Posted March 08, 2008
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by Histereo
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I am Histereo from India.I live in Bangalore,the Silicon Valley of India. (more)
