Thursday, January 7, 2010

Ibn-e-Batuta

Lyrics of a recent bollywood movie go something like Ibn-e-Batuta, bagal mein joota which means ibn e batuta, shoe under the arm.. which is meaningless and has been used just for the rhyming words. I take this opportunity to talk a bit about Ibn-E-Batuta, the great traveler.


A Moroccan Berber Muslim scholar and traveler who is known for the account of his travels and excursions called the Rihla (Voyage) in Arabic. His journeys lasted for a period of nearly thirty years and covered almost the entirety of the known Islamic world and beyond, extending from North Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the West, to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the East, a distance readily surpassing that of his predecessors and his near-contemporary Marco Polo.

The name of such a legendary traveler who has documented the times of most of the countries in his travels. It is disrespect to him and shame to all associated with the song.

You may read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Battuta

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