It is my hope that my students will come to understand why Ibn Battuta's contribution to geography and history is not well documented by western historians and cartographers. I would raise this as my first question.
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- How could it be that someone who traveled so far for so long has not been more widely recognized in our country?
It would be impossible to include the 75,000 mile, 29 year journey he undertook. One of the most comprehensive sites for historical, geographic, and artistic background on Ibn Battuta is: http://www.sfusd.edu/schwww/sch618/Ibn_Battuta/Ibn_Battuta_Rihla.html
As we begin reading from this site, I will present my students with a world map so that they can actually chart his adventures and travels, keeping in mind the information needed for our traveler board. This traveler will afford us the opportunity to incorporate all of the above focuses to build background knowledge: fact extrapolation, using science and film, determining fact from fiction, voice in writing, and importance of maps.
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- Vocabulary: hajj, pilgrimage, Islam, caravan, qadi, Mamluks, amirs, monotheism, Mosques, Kaaba, Arafat, Genghis Khan,
Persia, Iraq,
Mecca, Medina, Baghdad
dhow, Swahili,
steppes, Bubonic Plague
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- What did he eat along the way?
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- What were his outfits like?
