- "Come, and we will walk strange shores and make them familiar. And on returning find our familiar shores strange."
Ibn Battuta (24 February 1304 – 1368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveler and scholar who, over a period of thirty years from 1325 to 1354, journeyed through much of the Dar Al-Islam (the known Muslim world), visiting Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Iberian Peninsula, becoming the most well-traveled explorer in pre-modern history. Later in his life, he dictated a travelogue chronicling his journeys, known as The Rihla. He is a leader in Civilization VII.
Intro[]
The wanderer’s road is a long one, but there is no greater traveler than Muhammad ibn Battuta. The qadi gathers stories, resolves disputes, and compiles judgements for those who seek his wisdom. Take your pilgrim’s staff in hand, and take the first step.
In-Game[]
Ibn Battuta has the 
Expansionist and 
Wildcard 
Attributes. His default colors are dark green and light green.
His leader ability is The Marvels of Traveling. He gains 2 Attribute Points after researching the first 
Civic of every Age, his units gain +1 
Sight and he gains a unique 
Endeavor, Trade Maps, that lets him see other leaders' explored areas.
His agenda is Far and Wide. His Relationship increases by a Large Amount with the player that has uncovered the most Fog of War tiles, and decreases by a Small Amount with the player who has uncovered the least.
Strategy[]
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Share your wisdom!
How do you use Ibn Battuta? |
Lines[]
Ibn Battuta is voiced by Boutros Moussa. He speaks Classical Arabic.[1]
| Line | Quote (English translation) | Quote (Arabic) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote | Come, and we will walk strange shores and make them familiar. And on returning find our familiar shores strange. | تَعَالَوْا، سَوْفَ نَسِيرُ عَلَى شَوَاطِئَ غَرِيبَةٍ وَنَجْعَلُهَا مَأْلُوفَةً. وَعِنْدَ الْعَوْدَةِ، نَجِدُ شَوَاطِئَنَا الْمَأْلُوفَةَ غَرِيباً.
Taʿālū, sawfa nasīru ʿalā shawāṭiʾa gharībatin wa-najʿaluhā maʾlūfah. Waʿinda l-ʿawdah, najidu shawāṭiʾanā al-maʾlūfah gharība. |
This quote comes from The Rihla. |
| Greeting | We are well met upon the traveler's road. At least I hope so! (lit. "Everyone had a nice meeting on the road. At least, hehe, I hope so.") | مُقابَل جَمِيعًا مُقابَلَةً جَيِّدَة عَلَى طَريقِ السَّفَرِ. عَلَى الأقْلِ, هَهَهْ, آمَلُ ذَلِكَ.
Muqābal jamīʿān muqābalatan jayyid ʿala ṭarīqi s-safar. ʿAla l-ʾaqْl, hahah, ʼāmalu dhalik. |
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| Attacked | A future traveler will not be able to tell our dead from yours. (lit. "The future traveler will not be able to tell our dead from your dead.") | لَنْ يَتَمَكَّنَ الْمُسَافِرُ الْمُسْتَقْبَلِيُّ مِنْ مَعْرِفَةِ مَوْتَانَا مِنْ مَوْتَاكُمْ.
Lan yatamakkana l-musāfiru l-mustaqbaliyyu min maʿrifati mawtānā min mawtākum. |
|
| Declares War | I am no soldier. But I employ them. Here they come. (lit. "I am not a soldier. And... but I have their help. Here they come!") | أنا لَسْتُ جُنْدِيّ. وَ... وَلَكِنِّي أَسْتَعِينُ بِهِمْ. هَا هُم قَادِمُونَ!
Ana lastu jundiyy. Wa... walākinni astaʿīnu bihim. Hā hum qādimūn! |
|
| Accepts Player's Deal | A righteous development. (lit. "Turn in the right direction.") | دُرْ فِي الِاتِّجَاهِ الصَّحِيحِ.
Dur fī al-ittijāhi aṣ-ṣaḥīḥ. |
|
| Rejects Player's Deal | I fear I cannot. (lit. "I can't./I don't think it can.") | إِنَّنِي لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ.
ʾInnanī lā astaṭīʿ. |
|
| Defeated | In the empty plain I have seen men's forms turned to stone, and all around them their cities nothing but dust. Is that me? Shall I gaze sightless upon the plain for all eternity? Ah, what a fate. (lit. "I have seen the shapes of men turn to stone in the empty plain. Is this me? Will I gaze at the plain forever? What a fate.") | قَدْ رَأَيْتُ أَشْكَالَ الرِّجَالِ تَتَحَوَّلُ إِلَى حِجَارَةٍ فِي السَّهْلِ الْفَارِغِ. هَلْ هَذَا أَنَا؟ هَلْ أَنْظُرُ إِلَى السَّهْلِ إِلَى الْأَبَدِ؟ يَا لَهُ مِنْ قَدَرٍ.
Qad raʾaytu ashkāla ar-rijāli tataḥawwalū ilā ḥijāratin fī as-sahli al-fārigh. Hal hādhā anā? Hal anẓuru ilā s-sahli ilā al-ʾabad? Yā lahu min qadar. |
Leader Path[]
| Level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 2 |  Traveller's Sandals |
| 3 | Economic Attribute Node
|
| 4 | Exploration Economic Legacy Card |
| Exploration Cultural Legacy Card | |
| 5 |  Merchant's Saddle |
| 6 | Ibn Battuta Badge 1
|
Ibn Battuta Banner
| |
| 7 | Expansionist Attribute Node |
| 8 | Modern Economic Legacy Card |
| Modern Cultural Legacy Card | |
| 9 |  The Rihla |
| 10 | Ibn Battuta Badge 2
|
Marvelous Traveller
|
Civilopedia entry[]
Many representations of history treat Europe as the center of the world, implying the rest of the planet was static until the Europeans arrived. However, in the Middle Ages, the center of the world was undoubtedly the Arab states of the Middle East. At the central axis of the Silk Road and all the other attached trade routes (sea routes down the Swahili coast, Saharan caravans) the Arab caliphates were the pre-eminent force bridging Europe and Asia, until a decline precipitated by internal fragmentation and the arrival of Central Asian nomads (namely the Turks and Mongols).
Islam spread with these trade networks. The principle was simple: Muslim merchants preferred to trade with other Muslims. If a ruler or merchant wanted to get rich quickly, he would convert. If a king wanted his city-state to grow wealthy, he would convert. And if he didn’t, there were several well-funded contenders to the throne who did.
Born in 1304 to a Moroccan and Berber family, Ibn Battuta's name literally means “son of the duckling,” but his full title is Shams al-Din Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Lawati al-Tanji. Early on, Ibn Battuta set out to chart the scale and scope of the Muslim world, leaving on the hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) at the age of 21. He would not return for decades, and in that course, he would travel the known world.
Ibn Battuta took a series of voyages from 1325 until 1353, beginning with a long Mediterranean trip to Mecca via Cairo, then eastward to Baghdad and through Iran. Another voyage took him down the Swahili coast to Kilwa, then through the Persian Gulf. A third trip went east across Central Asia, India, and all the way to Beijing. His final journey was a comparatively short expedition from Grenada (in present-day Spain) to Mali. He dictated his travels, musings, and poetry in the rihla genre – a term used for such travelogues – under the title “A Masterpiece to Those who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling.”
Ibn Battuta can be thought of as a photographer, capturing poetic snapshots of the Muslim world at its height (although some of the claims in his rihla are contested). He was a poet, adventurer, and historian, and he lived and worked for a time as an ambassador and theologian. He was also a Muslim judge, employed by various courts to serve as an interpreter of the Koran; he was strictly critical of those whom he viewed as having unorthodox practices.
In sum, Ibn Battuta’s travels were the greatest of his age, eclipsing the distance traveled by both Marco Polo and Zheng He. His work gives us a human look at the state of the world in his time – its interconnections, people, and everyday life.
Trivia[]
- Ibn Battuta's ability comes from the formal (and longer) title of his travelogue, while his agenda references his status as an explorer and traveler.
- Ibn Battuta is the only leader in the base game with more than two Attributes represented in their Leader Path, having Economic and Cultural Legacy Card Unlocks but Economic and Expansionist Attribute Node unlocks. This is likely due to his unique (at launch) "Wildcard" Attribute. Interestingly, however, his other Attribute is Expansionist, which was only represented once, rather than Economic which is the Attribute represented twice.
Gallery[]
.png "Ibn Battuta three-quarter length (Civ7).png (518 KB)")
.jpeg "Ibn Battuta visiting Mongols (illustration by Burt Silverman, National Geographic).jpeg (1,016 KB)")
Videos[]
First Look- Ibn Battuta - Civilization VII
First Look: Ibn Battuta
Related achievements[]
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Son of a Duck.
Win the modern age as Ibn Battuta.
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References[]
See also[]
- Ibn Battuta in other games