The Adventures of Ibn Battuta by Ross E. Dunn

Mansa Musa and Ibn Battuta have been claimed as one of the most influential travelers of all time. Mansa Musa was the emperor of the Mali Empire during the 14th century. He became emperor around 1307 to 1312. He was a devoted Muslim. He is famous for many things such as his Hajj experience, his extreme wealth and spending. Mansa Musa helped the spread of Islam. Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan explorer. He is known for his long journey called the Rihla. He travelled for nearly 30 years and covered most of the Islamic world. He was also considered the greatest traveler of the medieval period. Ibn Battuta started at age 21 when he went on the Hajj and visited every Muslim country on the journey. He recorded details about the social and political life he witnessed. There are many similarities and differences in achievements of Mansa Musa and Ibn Battuta during the medieval period. Mansa Musa and Ibn Battuta had very similar successes during the medieval period being that they were both of Islamic faith and were also great travelers as they both traveled to Mecca for the Hajj. However, of the many things they had in common one big difference was that Mansa Musa and Ibn Battuta had different profession in their society’s. They share some of the same qualities as well as differences such as traveling to many different continents and their very different professions.

Throughout history, the Moors and their incredible achievements has been systematical-ly written out of the history by past historians; the Moors were preserved as barbarians who in-vaded Europe and did not contribute to the development of society. However those false rumors were put to rest by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima who dedicated his life researching to ancient African civilization and their accomplishments which aided to the development of society as we know it.

In his book All the Shah’s Men, Stephen Kinzer tells the story behind the coup that took place in Iran in 1953 and how US-Iranian relations were impacted as a result. To give a full picture of the events that transpired before the coup, Kinzer goes above and beyond and recounts the history of Persia going back to the founding of the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC, giving the reader an excellent overview of the long history of the region. He then goes on to recount the root causes and events that led up to the coup and then covers the coup itself. Kinzer then devotes the last 40 pages going over the events that happened after the coup and the consequences that both nations have suffered for it. Kinzer’s point of view on this subject was obvious

In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the new world. That year also marked the fall of the Moors (Medieval Muslims). They ruled over the Moor Kingdom of Granada in the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492, where the three Abrahamic religions lived in peace. In that year, the battle of Granada caused their great empire to fall. After this battle, Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity or be expelled from the land. This oppression went to the extent of forbidding any Islamic acts, behaviors, and scriptures, with violators being prosecuted, which resulted in unfair and unjust treatment for the Moors in Spain.

In this essay, one can analyze the mythical tale of King Arthur written by Thomas Mallory, Le Morte D’Arthur, and translated via classroom textbook by Donna Rosenberg. If you love the mystical realm or enjoy nobility and what they do behind closed doors, then read Le Morte D’Arthur. Or, if you love conflict that is between the desires of the flesh, but also desires and responsibility of being King of Britain, then you may find the legend of King Arthur just your cup of tea to read.

Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo were travelers who documented their experiences. These records of their journeys give modern day historians a way of knowing what things were like in those time periods. In The Travels of Marco Polo, The Venetian, the life of a young Italian man exploring a foreign country is explained. Similarly, Ibn Battuta shared his experiences in “A Donation to Those Interested in Curiosities”. These two men share similar experiences, but in different situations and each perceive their experiences differently.

Plot summary: Amir flashbacks to when he was twelve years old in Afghanistan. He lives with his father, Baba, and has two servants, Ali and Hassan, who are also a father and son duo. The latter two are Hazaras, Afghan’s minority, and as such, are subjected to racial slurs and cruelty. Amir and Hassan are playing when Assef, Kamal, and

When Amir returns home years later hoping to gain redemption, he encounters the suffering of his country under the tyranny of the Taliban. The book illustrates the long history of ethnic hierarchy within Afghanistan and how it created imbalances wealth and influences within society. As a result, many ethnic groups did not and still do not have a strong voice within the society. Afghanistan counties to this day to be a land of conflict, divided by religion, caste, class, political power which makes human rights for the Afghan people still a distant dream. The Kite Runner is an excellent story that I would recommend to future students. The conflict and despair in the Middle East is often lost on the younger generations in Western Nations thus

Ibn Battuta was a well known Arab traveler, and wrote of Islam in an African empire called Mali. Mali was first build when a group called the Mande conquered another group called the Kumbi. The Mande also took control of trade which increased their wealth and power. Islam was first introduced to Mali when the Mande accepted it, making it popular. When Ibn Battuta first visited Mali, he wrote of them fondly. Overall, Ibn Battuta’s writings give insight of how devoutly Islam was practiced during that time period.

His book included descriptions of places and items people needed, acknowledgement of the different cultures and the way other people lived differently. His book was written in different languages to apprise what the other world was like. The Rihla was printed by hand and the shortened version or the entire book was found in libraries and were carried by travelers. In addition, the books were translated into different languages such as French, German and English by the European scholars which allowed a wide audience to understand the Rihla. His book was used for traveling purposes and Ibn Battuta’s book guided people which informed them with his experience in different countries.

Throughout time, there have been innumerable poems, short stories, novels, etc. that have left lasting impressions on the literary world. Many have been deemed classics or even received prizes honoring the authenticity and brilliance in their writing. On the other hand, some have not been proclaimed as classics and we beg to differ. I have read many classics and to me, a work is worthy to be deemed a classic if it is timeless. Timeless meaning that no matter by whom, where, when the work is read it still evokes the same feelings, perceptions, and lessons. They also provide insight to a culture, society, religion, country, etc. that we wouldn’t typically have from the outside looking in. They counteract the stereotypes that outsiders procreate of something that they have never intimately experienced. Keeping that in mind, my classical nomination is the Bestseller The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

In the Swallows of Kabul, a life of suffering is happening because of many Taliban rules that has shaped many of the characters in this novel. “Stop filling your head with false ideas and unanswerable questions and useless reasoning. Even if you find an answer to every question today, you still won’t be safe from whatever unknowable event may take place tomorrow. The learned man knew many things, but he was ignorant about the essential thing” (Khadra 117-118). Qassim Abdul Jabbar told Atiq that he resembles basically a learned man who believe in his own thoughts whether or not it is true or false. This short passage was very important to interpret because the learned man can have different meanings. The first meaning behind a learned man is someone who knows all the information, but never understands his logic.

Amir, the main character comes from a Muslim background; a religion that’s only been skimmed in world history class, but never actual explored to the depth this book portrays it. It shows that religion is a key factor in giving people hope in troubling times and even though it may be forgotten throughout life, like Amir as he forgets his prayers with his

Maribel Fierro’s book “‘Abd al-Rahman III: The First Cordoban Caliph” was first published in 2005, then again in paperback in 2007. The paperback version is 140 pages, not including the bibliography and index, and the cost of the paperback book was 19.95, in the US. It was originally published by Oneworld Publications in Oxford England, as an Islamic

Ibn Battuta’s travels to Africa showed a lot about how he was brought up and also about his culture. He describes the occupants of the town of Zayla as “negro people” and when he arrives in the town of Kulwa he describes the Zanj people as “jet black