What did Ibn Battuta see in Alexandria?

"Abu Ubaid documented in Kitab al-Masalik suffices. The city of Alexandria, its gates and harbor. The city of Alexandria has four gates, the Sidra Gate, which opens onto the road to the Maghreb, the Rashid Gate, the Sea Gate, and the Green Gate, which only opens on Fridays for people to visit the graves. It has a harbor of great significance, unlike any others I have seen, except for the harbors of Qalam and Calicut in India, the Unbelievers Harbor in Sordag in Turkey, and the Zeytun Harbor in China, which will be discussed later."

"and Calicut in India, the Unbelievers Harbor in Sordag in Turkey, and the Zeytun Harbor in China, which will be discussed later. The Lighthouse of Alexandria. On this journey, I visited the lighthouse. I saw that one of its sides was partially collapsed. Its structure is described as a square building reaching up into the sky, with a raised entrance facing a similarly elevated structure. Wooden boards are placed between them to cross to the entrance. If they are removed, access is impossible."

"are placed between them to cross to the entrance. If they are removed, access is impossible. Inside the entrance is a place for the lighthouse guard to sit, and within the lighthouse are many rooms. The width of the passage inside is nine spans, the wall width is ten spans, and the width from each of its four sides is a hundred and forty spans. It is situated on a high hill, one league from the city on an elongated landmass surrounded by the sea on three sides until the sea connects with the city wall, making it accessible by land only from the city. On this land connected to the lighthouse is the Cemetery of Alexandria."

"only from the city. On this land connected to the lighthouse is the Cemetery of Alexandria. When I returned to the Maghreb in the year 750 AH, I found the lighthouse had fallen into such ruin that entrance was impossible, and climbing to the entrance was no longer feasible. King al-Nasir, may God have mercy on him, had begun constructing a similar lighthouse next to it, but death prevented him from completing it."

"and the strait is three days, but we traveled for nine days, and on the ninth day, we reached the island of Ceylon and saw Mount Serendib ascending into the sky like a column of smoke. When we arrived, the sailors said that this harbor does not belong to the Sultan, who allows traders to enter his land safely. Rather, it is a harbor in the territory of Sultan Ayiri Chakraworty, who is a notorious pirate with ships that plunder at sea, and we feared to land in his harbor."

"merchants, and the unbeliever's deputy named Kalaj, with a closed cough and ending with a gym, came out to greet us with drums, horns, trumpets, and flags on their ships. We entered the harbor to a grand reception, the likes of which I had never seen in those lands, a joy followed by sorrow. We stayed at the harbor, where there were three Chinese ships."

"belonging to a minister called Al-Tirmidhi. On the tenth day, we reached the isle of Mahal, where the sultana and her husband resided, anchoring at their harbor. Their custom was that no one could disembark from the port without their permission. They granted us permission, and I intended to go to some mosques, but the servants on the shore prevented me, saying I must first see the minister. I had instructed the captain to say, if questioned about me, I do not know him, fearing they would detain me. Unknown to me, a busybody had written to them, informing them of my background, that I was a judge in Delhi. When"

"He asked me about Ibn Tifraqin, and I informed him of what the Maghrebis had done with him, their intention to kill him in Alexandria, and the difficulties he faced from them in solidarity with our master, Abu al-Hassan, may Allah be pleased with him. Present in his council were the jurists Imam Abu Abdullah al-Suti, Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn al-Sabag, and among the people of Tunis were its judge Abu Ali Umar ibn Abd al-Rafi'i and Abu Abdullah ibn Harun."