Ibn Buttata: Three Significant Experiences

311 Words2 Pages
Discuss- in three paragraphs- three significant experiences that Ibn Batuta had in his encounter with different people during his trips. Culture shock is one of the more significant personal experiences any traveler can have. Ibn Battuta was not immune to these experiences, especially being orthodox Muslim. One of these culture shock experiences came about when he spent nine months on the Maldive Islands. His complaints about the women wearing nothing from the waist up went ignored by the locals. And while he was appointed chief judge and even married into royalty of the islands, his strict judgements did not go over well with the rulers causing Ibn Battuta to leave the islands. While travelling through Turkey, Ibn Battuta again experienced culture shock concerning women. Among the Turks, however, Ibn Battuta had noted how husbands of some women would easily be mistaken for servants. Besides deferring to their wife to speak for them, these men would also wear nothing but a sheep’s wool cloak and high cap. The fact turkish women did not veil themselves did not seem to be as big a shock to Ibn Battuta as this observation. One experience I enjoyed reading about in the Rihla was when the Sultan of Birgi tells Ibn Buttata of an asteroid. The Sultan had explained how a stone fell from the sky just outside the town Ibn Battuta was visiting and asked Ibn Battuta if he had ever seen one. After Ibn battuta answered in the negative, the Sultan asked for the stone to be brought. Ibn Battuta was amazed at the great black stone that glittered, at the weight, and at the fact 4 stonecutters could not make an impression while wielding iron hammers. This experience was in sharp contrast to most the others Ibn Battuta wrote about since it was not one regarding culture or politics, but

More about Ibn Buttata: Three Significant Experiences

Open Document