Ibn Battuta in Black Africa

Ibn Battuta in Black AfricaSaid Hamdun and Noel Q. King, Eds. and Trans.Abu Abdalla ibn Battuta (1304?1354) was one of the greatest travelers of pre-modern times. He traveled to Black Africa twice. He reported about the wealthy, multi-cultural trading centers at the East African coast, such as Mombasa and Kilwa, and the warm hospitality he experienced in Mogadishu. He also visited the court of Mansa Musa during its period of prosperity from mining and the trans-Saharan trade. He wrote disapprovingly of sexual integration in families and of a ?hostility toward the white man.? Ibn Battuta?s description is a unique document of the high culture, pride, and independence of Black African states in the fourteenth century.?Ibn Battuta?s narrative allows us to look at that country through eyes unlike our own. For once, sub-Saharan Africa is viewed without the intrusion of colonialism and racism, as just another corner of a large and fascinating world. . . . This book provides much food for thought, combined with the simple pleasure of a good travel tale well told.??The Boston GlobeNoel Q. King, U.C. Santa Cruz, is the author of Religion in Africa and numerous other books. Ross Dunn, San Diego State University, author of The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, provides an introduction.