Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Lawati al-Tanji, known as Ibn Battuta, was a Maghribi traveller from Tangier who visited many lands of the Islamic world and left the well-known Rihla 1. He was born in Tangier in 703 AH (1304 CE) and died, by one report, in 776 AH (1374 CE); other dates are given 2 3. He left Tangier on Thursday 2 Rajab 725 AH for the pilgrimage, alone, aged twenty-two 4. Ibn Hajar quotes Ibn al-Khatib that he went deep into Persian Iraq, entered India, Sind and China, and made the pilgrimage in 726 AH 5. In Delhi Sultan Muhammad Shah made him judge of the capital and named two deputies to act for him 6 7.
He then returned to the Maghrib and entered the lands of the Sudan; summoned by Sultan Abu Inan while at Takedda, he left it in Sha'ban 754 AH for Fez 5 8 9 10. The sultan ordered his journey written down; he dictated it and Ibn Juzayy edited it, and its writing down was completed on 3 Dhu al-Hijja 756 AH 11 10 12. Some contemporaries accused him of lying and Ibn Marzuq cleared him; Ibn Khaldun relates that when he raised Ibn Battuta's reports with the sultan's vizier, the vizier warned him not to deny what he had not seen of the ways of states; see the question of believing his reports 12 7. The Mawsu'at A'lam al-Ulama' wa-l-Adaba' treats his Rihla as a source for the customs and life of the peoples it describes 3.
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