The Center for Middle Eastern Studies provided funding to help in this process. In 2012 he gave permission to ORIAS to rebuild and rehost the site at UCB, where it could be updated and 'rescued' from the virtual void. It gives a sweeping overview of the African and Eastern world in the 14th Century. Between 13 he journeyed through North Africa and Asia Minor and as far as China. Since that time, online resources for teaching world history through traveler's narratives have increased dramatically, but Nick's pages are still some of the most valuable for classrooms. This book is an abridged volume, but is quite sufficient. Most units were lost during technical changes over the years at San Francisco Unified School District, where the original pages were hosted.

It was one of several large online resource units Nick constructed during the early days of curriculum on the internet. He did successfully complete his hajj but didnt end his travels there. The Travels of Ibn Battuta: A Virtual Tour began as a Web resource written in 1999 by Nick Bartel for his students at Horace Mann Middle School, San Francisco, California. At the age of 20, Ibn Battuta left his home in 1325 intent on making a hajj, or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Arabia. That title is a bit of a mouthful so the text is generally just called Ibn Battuta's Rihla, or Journey. Near the end of Ibn Battuta's life, the Sultan of Morocco insisted that Ibn Battuta dictate the story of his travels to a scholar and today we can read translations of that account, which was originally titled Tuhfat al-anzar fi gharaaib al-amsar wa ajaaib al-asfar, or A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling. He also had a few marriages and lovers and fathered several children on his travels! He was attacked by bandits, almost drowned in a sinking ship, and nearly beheaded by a tyrant ruler. He met many dangers and had numerous adventures along the way. But his traveling went on for around 29 years and he covered about 75,000 miles visiting the equivalent of 44 modern countries which were then mostly under the governments of Muslim leaders of the World of Islam, or 'Dar al-Islam'. His main reason to travel was to go on a Hajj, or a Pilgrimage to Mecca, to fulfill the fifth pillar of Isla.

Ibn Battuta started on his travels in 1325, when he was 20 years old. To help you learn more about his adventures there will be images of the people and places he saw, information on the food he might have tasted, and 'side trips' into the past and future. You will be following in the footsteps of this famous 14th century Muslim traveler, exploring the places he visited and the people he encountered. Welcome to this tour of Ibn Battuta's medieval travels!

Ibn battuta book of travels