Free levelled English reading practice. Read for meaning first, then use the full Speed Reading tool to time yourself and track your progress.
In 1325, a young Moroccan named Ibn Battuta left his home in Tangier intending to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The journey became the beginning of decades of travel across much of the Islamic world and beyond. He visited North and East Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, parts of Southeast Asia and China. Ibn Battuta often travelled through networks of scholars, merchants and rulers that connected distant Muslim communities. His education in Islamic law sometimes helped him find work as a judge or gain the support of powerful hosts. After returning to Morocco, he dictated an account of his journeys to the writer Ibn Juzayy. The resulting work, commonly called the Rihla, mixes observation, memory and stories gathered from others, so historians do not treat every detail as equally certain. Even so, it offers a remarkable view of fourteenth-century societies and demonstrates how connected the medieval world could be.
Comprehension questions
Why did Ibn Battuta first leave Tangier?
Which regions did he travel through?
How did his education sometimes help him?
Who helped write down his travel account?
Why do historians evaluate some details cautiously?
