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THE START OF A JOURNEYI was born near Tangier, Morocco. My family was Muslim and part of a Berber tribe. I had a good education, and we were known as judges and scholars of Islamic law. As a child, I studied at an Islamic school, learning reading, writing, science and mathematics, as well as Islamic law. &nbsp;I was encouraged to make the&nbsp;Hajj, the&nbsp;pilgrimage to the holy city of&nbsp;Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a religious duty for every Muslim at least once in their lifetime. So, in June 1325, at the age of 21, I set off. It proved to be the start of a longer journey that I made over the next 29 years. In total, I covered around 75,000 miles in my lifetime; more than any person had done before me.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F551f09080c1f4de9afcc5bd2d7fb7739" alt="" style="width: 279.413px; height: 403px;"> On my way to Mecca, I travelled across North Africa and saw great cities such as Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt, and Damascus in Syria. I met&nbsp;caravans&nbsp;of other pilgrims. Many of them had little food or water and were struggling to survive.A BIGGER PLANI was struck with the need to travel&nbsp;and determined that I would visit as many Muslim lands as I could. I travelled from Mecca to Iran and then to Basra in Iraq. Along the way, I was able to teach, which helped to pay for my travels. Whenever possible, I joined a caravan of people as this provided more safety, and in return I helped those in need. As I travelled, I made a point of visiting important religious sites, where I was able to pray and give thanks.I learned a great deal about people on my travels and I became very well-known.A trip to Baghdad led me to&nbsp;the Silk Road, an important trading route for goods such as spices, silks and jewellery. It was difficult and dangerous and I nearly died of dehydration.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fcb2ab61e817d46b4aafdf711830f3a44" alt="" style="width: 372px; height: 248.268px;"> But my passion for travel spurred me on and I went to Jeddah and then took a boat to Somalia, the most lawless place I had been to.When I next set off, I headed to Turkey – it’s a fine place but I found it shocking with my strict Muslim background. Women had freedom in what they wore and had freedom of speech.LESSONS LEARNEDAt this point I decided it was time to go beyond the Muslim world towards Asia, across the mountains into Afghanistan, and on to India. I felt most grateful that I was able to see the wider world. How fortunate was I to have opportunities and experiences that many people did not?Muslims lived alongside people of many different faiths – it was a big eye-opener for me. Encountering other cultures helped open my mind and appreciate the ways other people lived.Finally after decades of travelling, it was time to go home.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Ffb3f6e8d357e437ba503e5c9ee4eda0d" alt="" style="width: 383px; height: 203.18px;"> On my return, I was thrilled that so many people wanted to hear my tales. I had made no notes in my 29 years on the road, but my memory was good and a scholar wrote down my story. It was called&nbsp;A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling –&nbsp;known as&nbsp;Rihla&nbsp;or&nbsp;Travels&nbsp;for short.It was to become the best book about travelling of the medieval world.GLOSSARYPilgrimage – a journey to a shrine or a sacred place.Caravans&nbsp;– (Historical) a group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, travelling together across a desert in Asia or North Africa.Silk Road&nbsp;– an ancient network of trade routes connecting Europe and Asia that helped generate trade and spread ideas, culture, inventions, unique products, and even disease, across much of the settled world.Medieval – of, or having to do with the Middle Ages.&nbsp;LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>Ibn Battuta is often called the greatest explorer of all time. We think that he travelled more than 75,000 miles (120,000 km), in his life. That is quite something as it was before the age of steam power. Marco Polo is believed to have travelled only 15,000 miles (24,000 km), by comparison.</li><li>He met over 60 rulers and even more dignitaries during his travels.</li><li>The Moroccan Association of Ibn Battuta hosts a yearly International Festival of Ibn Battuta to raise cultural awareness and peace through travel.</li><li>The international airport at Tangier, Morocco is named ‘Tangier Ibn Battuta Airport’ in his honour.</li></ul>IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITSPainting of Ibn Battuta in Egypt,&nbsp;Léon Benett, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<o:p></o:p>Travelling the Silk Road,&nbsp;Abraham Cresques, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<o:p></o:p>Historic copy of&nbsp;Rihla&nbsp;by Ibn Battuta,&nbsp;Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0

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