What did Ibn Battuta see in Cairo?
Ibn Battuta called Cairo the mother of cities. His account of al-Azhar, the Nile, the markets, and the scholars of Egypt captures the golden age of Mamluk Islam.
2 passages from 1 book in the library
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 1 book by Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
· Provenance →
-
"Then to Cairo, where we learned that our master, the commander of the faithful and the supporter of religion, al-Mutawakkil al-Rab al-Alamin Abu Inan, may Allah support him,"
-
"At that time, the ruler of Egypt was King al-Nasir Hassan, son of King al-Nasir Muhammad, son of King al-Mansur Qalawun."
Want a different angle?
Type your question below — JM Scholar will ground its answer in the same sources.