“I left Tangier, my birthplace, on June 13, 1325, to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. I waved farewell to all my friends, women and men alike, and left my home as a bird leaves its nest.”
Thus begins Ibn Battuta, perhaps the greatest traveler of all time, his adventurous tale. The journey would last 29 years and take him to the remotest parts of Asia. By the time he finally had enough, he had visited 44 of the countries we find on today’s world map.
Tangier lies at the northern tip of Africa, directly across from Gibraltar. For centuries, the city had been a hub for regional travel and trade. Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, and Spaniards had all ruled here in turn. Caravans stopped here; ships were loaded and unloaded in the port, and sailing vessels from half the globe lay at anchor. Lush tales flew through the air like sharp shots. It was amid the fortune-tellers and storytellers that the seed was sown. Ibn Battuta, 22 years old, mounted a donkey and set off toward the sunrise.
Mecca was 4,500 kilometers away.
