Ibn Batuta＇s book The Rihla gives us a unique insight into life of a 14th C travelling scholar in the golden age of Dar AI Islam （the world of Islam）. This paper is a reflection on Ibn Battuta focusing on three cur...Ibn Batuta＇s book The Rihla gives us a unique insight into life of a 14th C travelling scholar in the golden age of Dar AI Islam （the world of Islam）. This paper is a reflection on Ibn Battuta focusing on three curious things we don＇t know about him. First, we don＇t know what he looks like--what does this tell us about visual culture, ethnicity and the idea of self-image in 14th Century. Second, we don＇t know if he really went to China--if not why would this section be included？ Third, we don＇t know how his story became lost to history, which it certainly was for close to 400 years--what does this tell us about the man, the book, it＇s intended audience and the changes happening within Dar AI Islam at that time.展开更多
文摘Ibn Batuta＇s book The Rihla gives us a unique insight into life of a 14th C travelling scholar in the golden age of Dar AI Islam （the world of Islam）. This paper is a reflection on Ibn Battuta focusing on three curious things we don＇t know about him. First, we don＇t know what he looks like--what does this tell us about visual culture, ethnicity and the idea of self-image in 14th Century. Second, we don＇t know if he really went to China--if not why would this section be included？ Third, we don＇t know how his story became lost to history, which it certainly was for close to 400 years--what does this tell us about the man, the book, it＇s intended audience and the changes happening within Dar AI Islam at that time.
