What did Ibn Battuta see in Sri Lanka (Ceylon)?

"Abu Ishaq, is adjacent to this tomb. The Sheikh Abu Abdullah ibn Kafif is highly regarded among the saints, and is famous for discovering the path to Serendib Mountain in the island of Ceylon, in the land of India. A great miracle is attributed to this Sheikh, as it is narrated that he once set out for the mountain of Serendib with about thirty poor men."

"The king chose the right hand, and the Sheikh opened it to reveal three incomparable rubies, which the kings later enshrined in their crown. The island of Ceylon is predominantly inhabited by infidels, but they hold Muslim ascetics in high regard, welcoming them into their homes and feeding them, unlike most other infidels in India, who neither approach Muslims nor allow them to use their utensils for food or drink, although they do not harm or insult them."

"herbs. In this city, I met the righteous Sheikh Abdullah al-Misri, the traveler who was among the pious, traversing lands except for China, Serendib Island, the Maghreb, Al-Andalus, and the Sudan, exceeding him by entering these regions. News of the Sultan of Bursa. The Sultan was Ikhtiyar al-Din Urqan Bey, and Urqan, with a dhamma on the hamza and a dotted kh, was the son of Sultan Osman, from whom the Ottoman sultans trace their lineage."

"and when I wished to sell it, it fetched nine dirhams. The porter took a third as his fee for carrying them from home to market. From these dates, a honey-like substance called Ceylon is made as delightful as syrup. Basra is divided into three districts. The first is the district of Hudhayl, whose chief is the virtuous Sheikh Ala al-Din ibn al-Athir, a noble man who graciously hosted me with clothes and money."

"We traveled without an experienced headman one, and the distance between the islands 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."

"with an open b and n, and a ya, meaning sugar water. They also offered a hundred cowries for expenses. Ten days later, a ship from Ceylon arrived with paupers from Arabs and non-Arabs who knew me. They informed the minister's servants about me, and the minister's esteem for me increased. He sent for me at the onset of Ramadan, where I found princes and ministers. Food was presented on tables around which groups gathered. The minister seated me beside him with Judge Isa, Minister Al-Famildari, and Minister Omar Dahird, whose name means commander of the army. Their meals included rice, chicken, ghee, fish, cured meat, and cooked bananas."

"He was made the governor of the city of Kanbaya, previously under the oversight of Mukbil, the vice-minister. Taj al-Din reached the city and sent ships to the lands of Malabar, Ceylon, and other regions, receiving gifts and treasures in ships, which elevated his status. When he didn't send the wealth from those regions to the capital, Mukbil ordered ibn al-Kulmi to send the gifts and funds from those regions alongside the customary gifts."

"cold water being harmful during the rainy season. In another of my visits to this sultan, which lasted eleven months, I did not eat bread. Their food was rice, and I stayed in the Maldives, Ceylon, and the Malabar and Mabar for three years without consuming rice. As for the sultan's attire, he wears fine silk and linen garments, fastening a cloth around his waist and wrapping himself with two shawls, one over the other."