What did Ibn Battuta see in Mogadishu and East Africa?
Sailing down the Swahili coast, Ibn Battuta recorded Mogadishu, Mombasa and Kilwa — the trade, the sultans, and the mosques.
7 passages from 2 books in the library
Ibn Battuta found Mogadishu an exceedingly large city whose people owned countless camels and many sheep; they were strong merchants, and its cloth, which he calls unmatched, was exported to Egypt. Sailing toward Kilwa, he stopped at the island of Mombasa, where people lived on bananas and fish, went barefoot, and followed the Shafi'i school. Kilwa he calls a grand coastal city of very dark-skinned Africans, pious and Shafi'i, whose Sultan Abu al-Muzaffar Hassan, known for generosity, raided the Zanj and set aside a fifth of the spoils as the Book of Allah prescribes.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 2 books 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 →
-
"and he responds promptly on the back of the card with his decision, as per their custom. I then departed Mogadishu, heading toward the coastal lands, aiming for the city of Kilwa in the land of the Zanj. We arrived at the island of Manbasa, modern-day Mombasa, Kenya. It is a large island, two days' sea journey from the coast, without connection to the mainland. Its trees include bananas, lemons, and citrus. They have a fruit called jamun, resembling olives but with a seed, yet exceedingly sweet. The island's inhabitants lack crops, receiving supplies from the coast. Their staples are mostly bananas and fish. They follow the Shafi'i school of thought"
-
"When we arrived, we chose to spend the night at sea, despite its terrifying nature, rather than in the city due to its filth. We then traveled by sea for fifteen nights and reached Mogadishu I, pronounced with the mem with a fatha, the kaf with a sukun, the dal with fatha, the sheen with a kasra, and the wa with a sukun. It is an exceedingly large city whose inhabitants possess countless camels, slaughtering hundreds daily, and they have many sheep. Its people are strong merchants, and the city is known for the garments attributed to it, unmatched in their quality, and exported to Egypt and other lands. In Mogadishu it is customary for when a ship"
-
"All walk barefoot. We spent the night on the island and then set sail to the city of Kilwa, a grand coastal city predominantly inhabited by very dark-skinned Africans. They have facial markings like the people of Lamu in Nawa. A trader informed me that Safala City is a half-month journey from Kilwa, and between Safala and Yufi in the Lamu lands is a month's journey."
-
"Their predominant characteristics are religiosity and piety, and they follow the Shafi'i school of thought. During my visit, the Sultan of Kilwa was Abu al-Muzaffar Hassan, also known as Abu al-Mawahib due to his generosity and many talents. He frequently raided the land of the Zanj, seized spoils, and allocated a fifth to the channel specified in the Book of Allah."
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 →
-
"hygiene due to the intense heat and perspiration. They frequently use fragrant oils like sandalwood and others, and they cover themselves with expensive perfumes imported from Mogadishu. Their tradition is that after the dawn prayer, every woman brings to her husband or son an eyeliner tool, rose water, and perfume oil so he can line his eyes and anoint himself with the rose water and perfume oil, leaving his skin smooth and removing dullness from his face."
-
"It also has a kitchen to provide food for travelers and to feed the poor Muslims there. In this mosque, I met a virtuous jurist from Mogadishu named Saeed, who was of good demeanor and manner and continuously observed fasting. He recounted to me his 14-year stay in Mecca and another 14 in Medina. He met the emir of Mecca Abu Numai and the emir of Medina Mansur ibn Jamaz and traveled through India and China."
-
"I sought his permission to host the poor who had come visiting the footprint, and he consented, sending me five sheep which are highly valued there as they are brought from Mabar, Malabar, and Mogadishu. He also sent rice, chicken, ghee, and spices. I sent all that to the house of Minister Suleyman Menayik, who cooked it excellently for me."
Want a different angle?
Type your question below — the answer is built from the same sources, and cited.
Every stop of the thirty-year journey, on one map — with the passage from the Riḥla for each: Ibn Baṭṭūṭa's route, mapped →