In the 14th century, Ibn Battuta, a Berber Maghrebi scholar and explorer traveled throughout the Islamic world over the course of several decades. He would travel throughout Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia – reaching as far east as China. It is one of the great stories of exploration in travel in history – 73,000 miles to the corners of the Islamic world – more than three times the distance of Marco Polo. It is an amazing tale – and one not known outside of the Muslim world until the 1800s.
Episodes
Ibn Battuta – Part 1 – Mecca
The early life of Ibn Battuta is covered in the first episode of our series – plus our explorer’s first major journey – a trek to Mecca in 1325-26. It is the start to one of the great stories in the history of exploration and travel.
Download this episode or listen online.
Maps
Ibn Battuta’s travels 1325-1332. Source.
Explorers Podcast 