Discussion and Essay Questions for Ibn Battuta's travels in Mali

Ibn Batuta was from Tangiers, Morocco and traveled throughout the Islamic world from 1325-1349. His travels took him as far as southern Russia, India, the Maldives, Sumatra, and perhaps even China. He traveled out of the quest for knowledge and to make his fortune as a religious scholar. The excerpt in the Coursepacket/ANGEL describes his visit to Mali. As you will see, while Mali was a Muslim country, Ibn Battuta found its peoples and customs different from those of North Africa and the central Islamic lands.

The following Questions will serve as the basis for discussion and could also inspire a short paper (be sure to begin your essay with a clear thesis statement):

1. Ibn Battuta's account of his visit to Mali is a source we can use to investigate his (and his society's?) attitudes toward dark-skinned people. How would you characterize his attitude toward the ruler and people of Mali? How important is race and color to his description of them and their customs, and to his attitudes?

2. Identify key passages where Ibn Battuta describes the Malians in a way that captures his sense of difference. What words does he use? How would you describe his attitude? Put in the form of an essay question: What does the way Ibn Battuta describes the King of Mali and his people and their cultural practices reveal about Ibn Battuta? What does he choose to focus on and how does he "judge" or evaluate what he describes?