Ibn Battuta — "The people of this country are very ignorant, and they do not know the religion."
The people of this country are very ignorant, and they do not know the religion.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Ibn Battuta
"In this country, the women are beautiful, and they do not wear veils. They are skilled in spinning and weaving."
"I was once given a parrot that could speak many languages. It was a very intelligent bird, and I enjoyed its company."
"The women of this city are very beautiful, but they are not modest."
"I saw a woman in this city who had a pet tiger. She walked it on a leash like a dog. I was quite astonished."
"The women here are not veiled, and they are not shy. They speak openly with men."
About Ibn Battuta (1304-1369)
Moroccan Muslim scholar and explorer whose Rihla (travels) covered ~75,000 miles across the Islamic world from Mali to China — the most-traveled person of the medieval world. Closely associated with Marco Polo (his Venetian counterpart, traveling 50 years earlier in the opposite direction). For an intellectual contrast, see medieval European Christian insularity, the sheltered monastic-feudal worldview of 14th-century Latin Christendom — Ibn Battuta's 30-year journey demonstrates that the 14th-century Dar al-Islam was a single intellectual ecosystem from West Africa to Beijing, while medieval Europe was still tribal and parochial. The cleanest 'connectedness vs insularity' contrast in pre-modern history — Battuta could find a familiar Maliki judge in any city from Mali to Sumatra.