Day 114 of international places giving smiles – Remembering Ibn Batuta Mall in Dubai
Ibn Battuta- 14th century World Traveller – My new Role Model!
With the soaring heat in Dubai…it was the best time to explore the many malls in the city, even though I was in no mood for any shopping. I was amused at the unusual name for a mall-the Ibn Battuta Mall. It looked huge and impressive from outside, but when I went inside I was fascinated with the story behind the person in whose honour this mall was named.
Our first stop was at the lavishly decorated central dome which gave us a glimpse of the travels of Ibn Battuta. I kept imagining how difficult it must have been to explore new places in the world in the 14th century without any of the modern means of transportation. The modern Ibn Battuta Mall has 6 courts in memory of this great traveller, which differ in decor as per the country they represent.
- Tunisian Court
In 1325 as a young, curious 21 year old, Ibn Batuta ventured out of his hometown in Morocco to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca. He had to pass through many North African countries on the way like Tunisia. The Mall has a Tunisian Court where we were guided with overcast blue skies and white clouds (created artificially as the indoor decor) and we walked towards the international food court for a meal.
2.Egyptian Court
Ibn Battuta also spent many months in Egypt in North Africa. He even took a bride, the first in a series of marriages that would be a part of his travel experience! The Egyptian Court had replicas of their kings, queens, temples, pyramids etc and I felt good to have a relook at their ancient past. I just had to try out a light pastry called Choux which was served hot with a filling of (hold your breath)…purple potato cream! Potato with pastry, a new combination for me!
- Persian Court
His first attempt to visit Mecca failed and he had to turn back because of a local rebellion. So he visited the Christian Holy places of Damascus, Jerusalem and Bethleham, because this route was relatively safer for pilgrims. Instead of returning home after his Haj Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, Ibn Battuta decided to join a caravan in end 1326 that was proceeding to Iraq and later he explored many cities of Persia. There was a huge dome in the centre of the Persian Court that was brilliantly hand painted. It was here that I read in detail about the travels of Ibn Batuta, and was amazed to know that he had covered on road or sea more than 73000 miles and the equivalent of 44 modern countries in his 28 years of ancient travel…Really an inspiration for me! Till 1330 Ibn Battuta made slow, long trips by boat, visiting many towns around the Red sea and also in the Swahili coast in the east of Africa.
His first visit outside the boundaries of the Islamic world was in 1331 to Constantinople in Anatolia, now called Turkey. Ibn Batuta talked his way to get permission to accompany the expedition that was accompanying the pregnant royal princess who was going to her hometown to give birth. By 1333 he had an experience of the steppe grasslands and also the Mongolian culture when he visited the land of the golden Horde.
- Indian Court
I was surprised to see a huge elephant clock tower when I had entered the mall, later I understood the significance of this centrepiece of the India Court. As I relished my multi-flavoured yogurt, I admired his courage to venture to unknown places at the edge of his map and for being eveready for unknown possibilities! Ibn Batutta managed to enter India from Afghanistan through the Hindukush Mountains. He worked for 10 years initially with the Sultan of Delhi, and then travelled to many places in India like Sarsatti, Hansi, Cambatt, Calicut,Honavar, Madurai, Chittagong, Assam etc. He has chronicled his many experiences and description of his travels, eg. the wealth of the towns, how once he almost lost his life when attacked by bandits, how he escaped pirate attack off Sri Lanka, how he seeked spiritual solace in the beautiful mountains as a disciple etc. - China Court
As we walked into the impressive China Court, the decor turned distinctly red. In the central dome there was a huge ship right in the middle of the mall. This ship would probably signify the extensive travel by waterways used by Ibn Batuta to reach many of the towns of South East Asia and China in 1345-46. - Andalusian Court.
There was so much to discover in the Ibn Battuta mall, and we had not even entered a single store for shopping! I wanted to get back to the comfort of our car and give some rest to my overworked feet. Only in the next visit did I actually see the majestic Lion Fountain of the Andulusian Court. Even after an adventurous return to his homeland Morocco , Ibn Battuta still set out to visit Andalusia the Islamic region of Southern Spain. Another reason for you and me to come to visit this mall in Dubai…and next time you may actually do some shopping at the many fantastic stores there!
After his last visit to west Africa in 1353, Ibn Battuta recorded a detailed description of all his 28 years of travel experience…I too am inspired by him to give into this spirit of exploration…and obviously I want to write about it …who knows which people would like to read about our times almost 9 centuries later?
So what place made you smile today?
Be thankful for the places that make you smile!
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