What did Ibn Battuta see in Delhi?
Ibn Battuta served as a qadi in Delhi for seven years under Muhammad ibn Tughluq — one of the most volatile rulers of the 14th century. His descriptions of Delhi's scale, beauty, and danger are unmatched.
10 passages from 4 books in the library
Ibn Battuta served as a qadi in Delhi for seven years under Muhammad ibn Tughluq, one of the most volatile rulers of the fourteenth century, and the page calls his descriptions of the city's scale, beauty, and danger unmatched. The cited passages convey the grandeur of the court of India, the elaborate protocol by which the sultan's servants received arriving ships and travellers bearing gifts, and the great mosque of Delhi, described as unrivalled in the land. His account captures both the splendour and the peril of life near that throne.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 4 books by Ibn Battuta, Imam al-Ghazali, and Ibn Kathir — 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 →
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"These only exist in India, and this city of Dhofar due to its similarity to and proximity with India,"
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"Upon reaching Khambhat, which is forty days' journey from Delhi, the king's court of India"
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"When a ship arrives from India or elsewhere, the sultan's slaves go to the coast, board a small boat to meet the ship, and present full attire to the ship's owner, captain, and secretary."
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"I questioned him about this, and he explained that these were his townsfolk returning to inform his family and relatives that he ventured to India with gifts."
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 →
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"He ordered Aybak back to India, where he returned and conquered the city of Delhi, as well as"
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"courtyard of the Delhi mosque, unmatched in the land. One of the people of India told"
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"revenge. Kashlu Khan's son was in Delhi, and he wrote back to Tughluq, that if his"
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"The poor of India entered a garden there, and the people gathered around Tughluq"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"It is said that a sage of India and a philosopher of Rome met with Anusharawan, who told the"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
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"descended in India with the black stone and a handful of leaves from paradise. He scattered"
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