CHAPTER I.

Tanjiers — Tilimsan — Milyana — Algiers — Bijaya — Kosantma — Buna — Tunis — Susa — Sajakus —

Kabis — Tripoli — Meslata, Sfc.

IlM THE NAME OF THE COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL GoD.

Praise be ascribed to God the lord of worlds ; and the blessing of
God be upon our Lord Mohammed, and upon all his posterity and com-
panions. But to proceed : The poor, and needy of the forgiveness of his
bountiful lord, Mohammed Ibn Fat,h Allah El Bailuni states, that the fol-
lowing is what he extracted from the epitome of the Katib Mohammed Ibn
Jazzi El Kelbi (upon whom be the mercy of God), from the travels of the
theologian “Abu Abd Allah Mohammed Ibn Abd Allah El Lawatl* of Tanjiers
known by the surname of Ibn Batuta : f and, that he did not extract any'

* El Lawatl. We have in the geographical work entitled ^ -c &c.

the following account of two places, to one of which this patronymic is undoubtedly to be referred.
^ jJ\ ^ ^Llb AjIjJ . Lawata is a district of

Karish in Spain. It is also the name of a tribe of the Berbers. According to the same work
Jazza is a place in Khorasan ^ to which the patronymic Jazzi is probably

to be referred.

f Mr. Burckhardt writes this name Ibn Batouta, adopting the French pronunciation of ou I
suppose. I have thought it more conformable with our orthography and pronunciation to write

B

2

B A R B A R Y.

thing except what was strange and unknown, or, known by report, but not
believed on account of its rarity, and the frequent carelessness of historians
in delivering down what has been reported, but what he himself considered
as true, in consequence of the fidelity of the Traveller, and because he had
written what he believed to be credible from histories of various nations and
countries ; and, because that which has been reported by faithful witnesses,
generally receives credit and excites inquiry. Some of his statements,
indeed, are opposed to the statements of others ; as, for instance, his
accounts of what he saw of the aromatic roots of Hindustan, which differ
from those given by the physicians : and yet his accounts are probably the
true ones.

The Sheikh Ibn Batata, the author of these travels, left his native city,
^Tanjiers,'^ for the purpose of performing the pilgrimage in the 725th year

Batuta. “ There are two abridgments of these travels,” says Mr. Burckhardt, “ one by Ibn
Djezy el Kelby ( ), tbe other by Ibn Fathallah el Beylouny (JjLJi
printed by mistake aJh ; the latter I possess.” He tells us in the same page

that he possessed two copies of this abridgment; but the fact is, there are three among his
books bequeathed to the University of Cambridge, all of which present the same text : the few
variations found have evidently originated in the mistakes of the transcribers. Mr. Burckhardt
writes Djezy, giving Dj for the Arabic . I have adopted Pococke’s method of giving our j for
this letter, with which it exactly corresponds. In this word some of the MSS. have
doubling thej z, which I have no doubt is the true orthography. From the extracts printed in
Germany by Professor Kosegarten and Mr. Apetz, it is quite certain that Mr. Seetzen’s copy, which
they probably used, is nothing more than an abridgment of the great work of Ibn Batuta ; and
although it presents some varieties with our copies, it is most likely a copy of the same abridgment.
I may remark here, once for all, that, as the proper names of places are extremely erroneous
in Mr. Burckhardt’s abstract (Travels in Nubia, Appendix III), I shall not in future notice
them ; but shall give such words in this work as correctly as I can from the documents in my
hands.

* The Arabian geographers divide Northern Africa into three parts, as given by Abulfeda in
the following extract Jj>-L ^

Uc^

. The regions of the west consist of three divisions, the most western of which is

B A R B A R Y.

3

of the Hejira (A.D. 1324-5). I shall mention here only the names of some
of the districts through which he passed, although this may contribute but
little towards impressing the reader with the greatness of his courage, his
religious confidence, or his indefatigable perseverance, in overcoming the
difficulties of passing deserts and of crossing mountains.

The first city, therefore, at which he arrived, was "Tilimsan*; the next “'Mil-
yana; the next *E1 Jazaer (Algiers): the next -^Bijaya ; the next ^Kosantinaf

known by “ the Extreme West.” This part extends from the shores of the ocean to Tilimsan,
considered in an eastward or westward direction : and again, from Subta to Morocco and thence
to Sijilmasa with the parts adjacent, considered from north to south. The second division is
known by “ the Middle West,” and it extends from the east of Wahran, which is one day’s
journey from Tilimsan eastward, to the boundaries of the kingdom of ^ijaya. The third and
eastern division is termed Africa, and this extends from Barca to the boundaries of Egypt.
Abulfeda places Algiers in Bijaya, and states the longitude and latitude to be respectively 20° 58',
33° 30', reckoning the longitude eastward from the cljI perpetual islands, z. e. from

Ferro, the most westward of the Canary Islands 17° 52' west of Greenwich. The

Kosantina of our traveller is by him written Kosatina, but the ^ n has probably been

omitted by the copyist. He makes the longitude and latitude, according to the Atwal, 28° 30',
31 30'; Ibn Said 24 40', 33° 22' respectively.

^ In the have

&c. i. e. Tilimsan : some pronounce it Tinimsan with an n instead of the I : they are two
walled and neighbouring cities in the west, between which there is the distance of a stone’s throw :
the one is ancient, the other modern — The word is probably a dual. I notice this, because I find
M. de Sacy writing it Telmisan. '

f We have s .U-....; Kosantinla, in the Jusl ^ , with this account of the place, ajj

^ ^

^ ^ ^ tower, the latter of

which is termed Kosantinla el Hawa. It is an extremely large and high tower, so that the birds
cannot get to it without considerable effort. It is situated in the boundaries of Africa which limit
the western parts, upon three large rivers navigated by ships.” This place is also styled by El
Harawi, in his book of pilgrimages, Costantina El Hawa, in which he says was a

most wonderful bridge having only one arch, and that with a span of 150 paces : the only building
like it was another in Khuzistan. ^ ^ l§j LjX<

B 2

4

B A 11 B A R Y.

the next '‘Buna; the next ‘Tunis*; the next'^Sawsa; the next 'Safakus.

. iU-

Jil d Ua:

j IjU j^AiU U As-lj 1$1a< . In this place is a bridge,

to which there is no equal in the countries of Islamism for its wonderful construction : it consists
of one arch of 150 paces in extent between two piers, if we except that at the gates of Arjan
upon the borders of Khuzistan, which is referred to El Dailatnl the physician of El Hejaj.

Of this other wonderful bridge we find some account in the work of Mr. Ulenbroek, taken from
Ibn Haukal (p. 44), as follows: Ulj

k (J^ ^ Jli:l h hy

4^AX£ j^\ lJ'

liT* ^ which

he thus translates : “ ad fluvios Persidis quod attinet, habet bonas aquas orientes in confiniis
Isphahanse ejusque montibus, et apparentes in regione A1 Sardan postquam transierunt tractum
A1 Bordj. Sese exonerant in fluvium Masen, qui itidem e tractu Isphahanae versus ilium Sardani
procedit. Conjunguntur prope vicum iVfasen dictum ; neque desinit aqua fluere uberius quam
incolarum necessitates postulant, usque ad postam al Radjan sub ponte Tsakan ; qui pons inter
Persidem et Khouzistanum exstans paucos sibi pares babet, ita ut, me quidem judic, opere
praestantior sit ponte Condubae et ex laudatissimis Persiae rebus. Rigat pagum et urbem, deinde
incidit in mare prope confinia Schiniz.” It may be remarked here, that the place termed
by El Harawl, is given by Mr. Ulenbroek . The former, however, is the reading given in

the Calcutta edition of the Kamoos, thus j , ?. e. El Arjan, a district in Ears.

Abulfeda gives , but says that it is also written with Instead of too,

Abulfeda givesj.-. . . , (See also pp. 31, 88 in Mr. Ulenhroek’s Translations).

* In Abulfeda, ^ Jp-Lj u^y

° j^ji jLhS-j k»p£^ iSy ij^y

(A .tbo jb) liMji] Sij Tunis

is a large modern city in Africa, situated upon the sea-shore. It was built from the ruins of
Carthage which is two miles from it. It has been called Tarsis also. Its walls are said to enclose
twenty-one thousand cubits. It is now a village of Africa. They drink from wells and canals
supplied by rain water. The port is towards its eastern part. Upon the authority of the geogra-
phical work entitled the Moshtarik Carthage, says Abulfeda, Jb^k ^ i'jJo

jUji) ^jj)!b bi4 jii jb) u^y ^y

C-?jbj -ciVi- It is a town in the districts of Africa near Tunis, but now in ruins : there are in
it many marks of ancient splendour. He also says, that this is the name of a city in Spain in
the district of Tadmlr, which was overflowed by the sea and destroyed.

BARB ARY.

5

Ibn Jazzi El Kelbi states, that on this place the following verses were written
by ™Ibn Habib El Tenukhi.*

May sliowers enrich thy happy soil,

Fair land, where fanes and towers arise :

On thee let sainted pilgrims pour
The richest blessings of the skies.

The wave that round thy bosom plays.

Conscious of its endeared retreat.

When the rude tempest rocks thy domes.

In sighs resigns its happy seat.

Yet urged another glance to steal
Of thy loved form so good so fair.

Flies to avoid the painful view
Of rival lovers basking thence.

And, on the other hand, ”Abu Abd Allah Mohammed Ibn Abi Temim f
has said:

* As the Arabic text of this work is not likely soon to be printed, I shall occasionally give, in
notes, such portions as I may think necessary, either for the purpose of promoting farther
inquiry, or to present the reader with such specimens of Arabian poetry as may occur. The
original lines of the above verses are as follows :

This verse is a species of that termed U^... or expanded. See Clarke’s Arabic Prosody, p.
51. The measure will be found at page 60, as follows, rU with its varie-

ties. Tenukh is the name of a tribe in Bahrein, from which this poet probably took his origin.
I have not been able to find any particulars respecting him.
j The following are the original lines :

The verse is of the species termed U.... J] , expanded, and may be measured by
, with its varieties. See Clarke’s Prosody, p. 52.

The author is probably

given at n. 628 of Tydeman’s Conspectus operis Ibn Chalicani. Lugd. Batav. 1809.

6

EGYPT.

See the swelling angry tide,

Rage and beat against her side :

But, only ask a moment’s stay, —

It hisses, foams, and rolls away.

The next city was that of “Kabis; the next ^Tarabulus (Tripoli). Ibn
Batuta has stated, that he then passed on to ’Meslata and ’’Mesurata, and
^Kasura Surt (or Palaces of Surt). We then passed, says he, the low
grounds* (which may also mean the Forest), and proceeded to the palace of
"Barsis the devotee, to the "Kubbat El Islam, and to the city of “’Alexandria,
where we saw one of its most learned men, the judge "Fakhr Oddln El Riki,
whose grandfather is said to have been an inhabitant of ^ Rika. This man
was exceedingly assiduous in acquiring learning : he travelled to ""Hejaz, and
thence to Alexandria, where he arrived in the evening of the day. He was
rather poor, and would not enter the city until he had witnessed some favour-

* In the dJ\j^ we have,^^

V.- •• '

a city situated between Tripoli and Safakus near El Mehdiyat, upon the shore of the western sea.
In it is a station for ships from all parts : it is three miles distant from the sea — El Harawl writes
this name above ; and, in mentioning this place, stops to give an account of Etna as

it was in his day, i. e. early in the thirteenth century. He says J.La: jUl

|*Lks)l klj

4j *- ** — b

“ In the island of Sicily is there a fiery mountain, which hangs over the sea. It is very
high in the air, and during the daytime smoke is seen arising out of it, and in the night fire.
One of the learned men of the country told me, that he saw an animal like a quail of a leaden
colour fly out of the middle of this fire and again return to it. This he said was a samandal
(salamandar). For my part, I saw nothing but black perforated stones, like the stone of the pes
columbinus, falling from this mountain on the part near the sea. They say, that there is a similar
mountain in Fargana which burns stones, the' ashes of which are sold three ounces for the
dirhem, and with this they whiten their clothes.” From this it should seem, that salamandar is a
corruption of samandal, an Arabic compound signifying

EGYPT.

7

able omen. He sat, accordingly, near the gate, until all the persons had gone
in, and it was nearly time for closing the gate. The keeper of the gate was
irritated at his delay, and said to him ironically, enter Mr. Judge. He replied,
yes, judge ! if that be God’s will. After this he entered one of the colleges,
and attended to reading, following the example of others who had attained
to eminence, until his name and reputation for modesty and religion reached
the ears of the king of Egypt. About this time the judge of Alexandria
died. The number of learned men in Alexandria who expected this
appointment was large : but of these, the sheikh was one who entertained
no expectations of it. The Sultan, however, sent it to him ; and he was
admitted to the office, which he filled with great integrity and moderation ;
and hence obtained great fame.