Ibn Battuta

1304–1368/1369 · Moroccan (Tangier) · Medieval Islamic Golden Age

Known for: History's greatest traveler—covered 75,000 miles across Africa, the Middle East, India, and China over 30 years

Ibn Battuta left Tangier at 21 on a pilgrimage to Mecca and didn't return for 24 years. He served as a judge in Delhi, was shipwrecked in the Maldives, visited the Swahili coast, crossed the Sahara, and traveled to China—covering approximately 75,000 miles, three times the distance Marco Polo traveled.

He was adventurous, sociable, and remarkably resilient—surviving plagues, pirates, and political upheaval across dozens of kingdoms. He dictated his account, the Rihla, upon returning to Morocco. Some scholars question whether he visited every place he claimed, but the core narrative is generally accepted as the most extensive pre-modern travel account ever written.

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