Ibn Battouta Museum
Located in Tangier, Morocco
Description
The Museum is a testament to one of the world’s greatest explorers. Visitors will find artifacts, stories, manuscripts and other exhibits telling the stories of his exploits, supposedly as far as Eastern Europe and Asia.
Among the features in the museum are the Life and Travels of Ibb Battouta, a collection of Islamic Art and Architecture and Tangier’s role as a global crossroad and its historic significance.
About Battouta
Battouta was born in the 14th century, a descendant of the Lawata Berber tribe. He set off for a 16 month pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325 and returned 24 years later. Battouta chronicled his travels in the famous book A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling better known by its shorter name The Rihla.
Some believe he may have traveled as much as 73,000 miles (never by jet!) as far east as China and north as Europe. He wrote of himself:
““I set out alone,” he wrote, “having neither fellow-traveller in whose companionship I might find cheer, nor caravan whose part I might join, but swayed by an overmastering impulse within me and a desire long-cherished in my bosom to visit these illustrious sanctuaries. So I braced my resolution to quit my dear ones, female and male, and forsook my home as birds forsake their nests.”
Contact and information
Borj Naam, Tangier 90000, Morocco
Tel: +212539339688
Hours:
M-S 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Chip’s Notes
The museum is a beautiful multi-story building with an open courtyard and excellent interactive descriptions of the man’s journeys. He may have been the world’s greatest traveler. He may have traveled more than any explorer in pre-modern history. Some of his exploits were likely apocryphal. He never kept notes of his travels and his famous book The Rihla may have been fictional and even plagiarized.
Near the museum we heard a man playing his Oud and sat with him a bit. You can see the video of this encounter and read more about our visit to the museum in our Dispatch XXIX: Exploring Morocco’s Exotic Cities: Tangier, Tétouan, and Chefchaouen.
Have you visited the Ibn Battouta Museum? We’d love for you to share your experience in the comments below. Thanks!