Ibn Battuta's Impact On World History

In early Africa, the kingdom of Ghana was prosperous due to the trade of salt and gold. Ghana’s location benefited it in many ways. First Ghana’s location allowed them to be the center of the Gold/Salt trade. Since salt was so valuable at the time, the people of Ghana were able to sell salt for gold throughout Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Middle East. Ghana also made a lot of revenue from taxes on the Gold/Salt trade route. Since they were the center

Based on documents 1 (FOREIGN GOLD & SILVER COINS DISCOVERED AT SWAHILI CITIES: from Classical and Post-Classical Era Trading Civilizations to 1450 C.E.) and 9 (THE HANSA AND ITS TRADE PRODUCTS) it is to see that Hansa and Swahili traded variant items and their demand for certain products in the economy. In document 1, Swahili cities traded mostly gold and silver. On the other hand in Hansa, fur, timber, iron, copper, beer, skins, butter,

In West Africa, the savanna provided a long distance trade site before the use of Atlantic slave trade. Its surplus of gold makes Africa rich and rivaling with Europe's power

The Kingdom Ghana in western Africa flourished. Ghana gained control of the salt-and-gold trade (Doc. 2). This was important because Gold was used as a currency,

Ibn Battuta, Muslim traveler, teacher and pilgrim. From a chapter in his book, written at the oasis of Takedda locates south of the Sahara Desert in north central Africa, 1353|

Before long, Great Britain, France, and other Europeans found goods like cotton, coffee, gold, diamonds and much more that could make them millions (Doc D). After getting a taste of Africa’s natural valuables, Europeans were hooked. They began to trade their resources and before long, the hard work to seize land payed off. Great Britain; the country with the most prosperous land made six million off of imports and three million off of exports in 1854 from their South Saharan territory(Doc E). By 1900, they doubled their import revenue and increased export revenue by eighteen million (Doc E).

Patrick Henry desired to go Africa which is called the golden kingdom to search the gold, money, spices and ivory. He also anticipated to go to Asia by all sea route, as Europeans heard this magnificent continent from the most famous traveler Marco Polo, whose thought and great adventure in Asia was recorded and spread throughout the Europe. In 1441, even one decade before Christopher Columbus was born, a ship left Portugal and sail toward the Atlantic ocean. They arrived at the west of Africa at last, and they start to trade with spice, gold, and oil as Patrick Henry commanded it (Williams 1). This text shows us that Europeans in Africa developed trade of spices, which they can bring back to home, and help them preserve the food for a longer period time. They are also in favor of the gold for seeking expression of the beauty. Meanwhile, the west African grew rich by trading gold and spices with European trader. However, European started another business in Africa, the trade of

A brief summary of his life is paramount in the understanding of Battuta’s impressions and reactions to West African society. Abu Abdallah ibn Battuta was born in Morocco in 1304. By 1325, Battuta embarked on his first hajj, or pilgrimage to the holiest Islamic city of Mecca at age twenty-one (Hamdun, King, p. 1). Although expected to complete this religious duty at least once in his or

In Africa however “because salt was so valuable, it was traded pound for pound with gold,”(Document G). In africa they saw salt and gold as equal in value and was often times a common substitute for gold when buying and trading things.

The work of the Portuguese in Africa was far from complete. They continued setting up trading stations spanning across the west coast of Africa, still with the intention of finding gold.

The Quran had served as the cornerstone of the Islamic society. They spread the message of

This chapter begins with the Muhammad and the message he brings. It all began in the Arabian Peninsula, which was mostly desert. The people who lived there were called Nomadic Bedouin, and they are organized in family and clan groups. The importance of long-distance trade networks became important again between China, India, and Persia, Byzantium. The section starts talking about the early life Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in to a Mecca merchant family in 570 C.E. He had a difficult life growing up, but in 595 C.E, he married a wealthy widow. By the time, he was thirty he became a merchant and exposed too many faiths. He had a spiritual transformation at the age of forty, and declared that there was only one true god, whose name was Allah, “the god.” His believe that Allah would soon bring judgment on the world, and the divine messenger, Gabriel, delivered these revelations to Muhammad. The Quran, also known as the “recitation,” is the holy book of Islam. Muhammad followers complied with his revelations. They had works of poetry and definitive authority on Islam;

The Quran or Koran is the sacred text of Islam, believed to contain the revelations made by Allah to Muhammad. All Muslims study the Quran. The Quran is the final evidence of the Divine origin of the Prophet’s mission (Phipps, 9).

2. Translated by Samuel Lee, The Travels of Ibn Battuta. 51-68, 139-168, 172-176, 181-183, 199-206.

Ibn Battuta’s remarks of his travels say a great deal about his own culture and norms. Almost every place he travels to he brings up women and how they are treated, as well as what their status is in that society. He is also very amused with the décor of the buildings in terms of gold and silver decorations. It seems as though he does not come from a wealthy society or his family is not on the wealthy status level. Battuta also seems to bring up the cleanliness of each area he travels to.