(Brown)

(ORIAS)

Works Cited

Brown, Cynthia Stokes. "Ibn Battuta." Khan Academy. Khan Academy, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 Jan.

2017.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Fatimid Dynasty." Encyclopædia Britannica.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 14 Jan. 2017.

Indiana University. "Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354." Ibn Battuta: Travels.

University of Indiana, 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.

ORIAS. "The Hajj - from Medina to Mecca: 1326." Berkeley Office of Resources for

International and Area Studies. University of California Berkeley, n.d. Web. 19 Jan.

2017.

Battuta, Ibn. The Travels of Ibn Battutah, abridged and annotated. Edited by Tim

            Mackinstosh-Smith. London: Picador, 2002.

October 1326

 

The hajj was my goal of this journey, and I shall reach it so soon. In Damascus, many pilgrims joined my small caravan of travelers as the Mamluk Army protected our journey there. We decided to stop at al-Madina which lasted for four days. Every night was spent in the holy mosque - some people prayed while others cared for the ill on our caravan. The mosque was unbelievable to see as we spent every night just outside the city walls. A place where the Great Prophet Mohammed fled to from the holy site of Mecca. With this new perspective, many in the caravan were rejuvenated and ready to complete the hajj.

 

The sight of Mecca was uncomparable to anything that I had seen on my journey thus far. Thousands of people were gathered all at once to see the holy site as well as the Ka’ba. “Like a bride who is displayed upon the bridal-chair of majesty, and walks with proud steps in the mantles of beauty... We made around it the seven-fold circuit of arrival and kissed the holy Stone; we performed a prayer of two bowings at the Maqam Ibrahim, a shrine which houses the footprints of Abraham, and clung to the curtains of the Ka'ba” (Battuta). The holiness of this sacred site can simply not be captured in mere words. Instead, a rough illustration will be provided at the end of this entry even though it is still unable to capture the sheer glory of the Holy Stone where our Prophet has stood before.

 

I have reached my goal for this journey, yet there have still been wondrous exchanges that I’ve made and still plan on making. After we spent the night outside the city of Mecca as one large caravan, many strangers came to greet us and treat us with great care for our pilgrimage. Many people brought food as offerings to aid the weak and unable in our caravan as they tried to “send none away disappointed” (Indiana). Whenever they make a feast, they feel the cultural and religious need to share it without hesitation, another instance of Zakat. This type of generosity could not be appreciated more than by the year long travel it took me to reach here. Now that I am here, how will I venture on into the full realm of Dar al-Islam? This simple trip can not begin to encompass the entirety of the Muslim empire, most notably, the East hub of Delhi in India. My writing will not cease here, and my adventures into the full Islamic world of China, the Arabian Sea, Anatolia, Mali, and finally returning to my home of Tangier, Morocco shall continue. The cross-cultural exchanges and the massive architecture will never stop leaving me speechless, yet there is plenty more to see in the world. In this, we have an end of one journey, and the continuation of many more.

July 1326

 

The past two months have been a journey from Cairo to Damascus, the original home of the Umayyad Caliphate, but now home to the Mamluk dynasty. I traveled along the Royal Road, developed by the Mamluks in order to bring pilgrims across Damascus safely and quickly. Damascus, she is a wonderful city with plentiful water and floral beauty. She is as sweet as her scented herbs and as peaceful as the sunset in Morocco. Not only is she beautiful, but she is home to many merchants and traders. Rather large in population, it linked the people of Egypt to Persia. Through areas, like the Black Sea, people were able to transport goods and ideas, particularly from scholars at the university. Food and clothing is plentiful in Damascus as kids are rarely scarce in resource. Children are not often clothed as well as they are in this gorgeous city as they are in Tangier, or even in places like Alexandria and Cairo. The children are often taught in classes from a young age. Unlike my opportunities in Morocco, the kids are able to learn from scholars right across from their home. They live vibrant lives, seemingly open to many different cultures.

April 1326

 

The Nile Delta River has been a magnificent journey thus far. Visiting a city like Alexandria was simply breathtaking. Tangier was not filled with such astonishing architectural accomplishments as the Lighthouse of Alexandria will surely be considered a wonder of the world. The Lighthouse seemed to touch the sky; I predict its height at no less than 100 feet. It was crafted from light-colored “earth tone” blocks that formed a three-tiered structure. A middle, core layer was placed beneath a middle hexagonal shape which was under a larger circular spiral. The Lighthouse was surrounded by a smaller layer of buildings with a square shape. There was a certain figure atop of the Lighthouse that looked similar to a prophet reaching to Allah. The value of construction in a city such as Alexandria was marvelous to see.

 

Along the Nile Delta River was also the city of Cairo. As I visited there, I learned of the development of the Fatimid Caliphate in their creation of Cairo (Britannica). As their former capital, Cairo acted as the cultural hub for Islam as it held a large mosque that was named after the leader - al-Azhar. The columns for the grand mosque were monstrous in size as they supported the large dome under which the imam lead prayers. The two asymmetrical pillars on either side of the dome seemed as tall as the Lighthouse of Alexandria because of how they towered over the rest of the mosque. Talking to a traveler I met while exploring the city with my large caravan, a Muslim named Imad told me how the mosque was visited by thousands of people and how the large community had formed from this one building. “Travelers, such as you, have also come to stop here often” Imad explained. This sense of the scope of Dar al-Islam is what surprised me the most here.

January 1326

 

I have been awarded a great honor as my learnings of religion and reason have been recognized! A qadi is considered an Islamic judge and settler of disputes (ORIAS), and most pilgrim caravans appoint the most qualified member to assume the role. Traveling with members of the madras from Tunis in a larger caravan than before. I have met many new faces, including the daughter of one of the professors at the madras. She is as pretty as Nerjes, the woman who let us stay with her in Qusantinah, and her hair is as black as night. Her eyes sparkle like little stars as she often discusses with me the cultural differences with Tunis and Tangier. She explained to me that not greeting strangers was standard practice in Tunis whereas it is considered rude in Morocco. I suppose my loneliness was not a unique feeling at the time.