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What is Volume Two of the Rihla?
The Rihla is the travel account of Ibn Battuta, who in the 14th century spent thirty years on the road, some 75,000 miles across three continents. The full title given at the head of this volume is A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of the Nations and the Marvels of Travel. Volume Two is the second half of that account. It begins at the edge of India and ends with the return to the lands of the West. Its question is the one that drives the whole book: what is out there, and what is it like to arrive?
The volume opens with the Account of Arriving at the Valley of Sindh. On the first day of Muharram in the year 734, Ibn Battuta reached the Sindh valley, known as Punjab, meaning the five waters, which overflows in the hot season so that people farm on its floodwater as the Egyptians do with the Nile. This was the first territory of Sultan Muhammad Shah, King of India and Sindh. Informants posted at the river sent word of the travellers' arrival to Qutb al-Mulk, the governor of Multan, while the principal emir of Sindh, a Mamluk named Sartiz, was away at Siwistan, ten days' journey from Multan.
The opening shows how Ibn Battuta tells his story. He notices how a river feeds a country, who rules it, who is watching the roads, and even how a name is pronounced: Sartiz, he explains, means sharp-headed, and he spells out each part of the word. The reader is asked to travel at his pace, city by city, with the same attention to detail. From here the road runs through India and then turns back toward the lands of the West.
Is there an English audiobook of the Rihla, Volume Two?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West as an English audiobook (about 10.5 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It covers the second half of Ibn Battuta's 30-year journey across the Islamic world.
Is it free to listen?
The whole library is open to everyone. Every member gets five hours of listening free each month; Joyful+ removes the time limit.
How long is it?
About 10.5 hours. It covers the second half of the journey, from India to the lands of the West, opening with the account of arriving at the valley of Sindh.
Last updated 2026-09-11
Inside the book.
Chapters
Word-synced with the narrator.
The first three minutes are transcribed here. In the app, the Living Manuscript scrolls through the entire book in rhythm with the audio — Arabic alongside English.
Living Manuscript
Listen to the full book in the app for the complete Living Manuscript.
The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.
