Ibn Battuta's Journey - Natasha Rayman

View Fullscreen

         MST202

Assignment #2  

Natasha Rayman 

April 6th, 2018 

INTRODUCTION 

 

The story which I be sharing through my map is the journey of Ibn Battuta’s, specifically from Jerusalem to Constantinople (Norton 2012, p. 820-27). I have marked 3 distinctive points which he had visited during his travel; Jerusalem, Damascus and Constantinople. Much of the objects and locations I have selected for this map include sites which Ibn Battuta described himself in his travels (Norton 2012, p. 820-27). Ibn Battuta does a beautiful job in describing each site at it would have been during his time, which helps the viewer in understanding what it would have looked like if one had been there (Norton 2012, p. 820-27). After doing this assignment, what I can understand that it must have been a momentous journey due to the fact that much of this was done on the back of a camel or foot (Norton 2012, p. 820-27). It was also important for the sheer spirituality he found at each site, such as the way all religions had come together at the Mosque of Footprints ((Norton 2012, p. 823). Interestingly however, this site was not included in my map as it seemed to have been no historical information found on the web of this mosque. Ibn Battuta refers to this mosque as Masjid Al-Aqdam, and it is possible that the name may have changed but even then, I found it difficult to find ((Norton 2012, p. 823). Nonetheless, Battuta put great excitement into explaining the ethereal beauty of watching different religions come together to pray at this mosque ((Norton 2012, p. 823). 

 

SPACE 

 

In terms of space, Battuta tries to create a descriptive narrative of what the crowd felt like, rather than giving descriptions of what he saw ((Norton 2012, p. 823). Such aa when talks about the Hagia Sophia, he describes the architecture of the building but also the people who often go there and the significance of the place to them (Norton 2012, p. 824). He explains the history behind the Hagia Sophia, and why it continues to remain important, which is interestingly not something others really do ((Norton 2012, p. 824). For example, he describes a part of the town in Constantinople as “dirty” or “filthy” but doesn’t bother with going further into describing the area ((Norton 2012, p. 824). However, when describing the, then church, he describes the exterior of it and the interior, and the people who surround it (Norton 2012, p. 824). Which is understandable, as his focus on this journey was to travel to these religious sites. In the context of this story, the description of the space is important because much of these sites have changed over time or have broken down, thus aiding to the reader and viewer of the map when looking at these places. 

 

DIGITAL MAPS

 

My digital map focuses on two sites, and three objects of interest. The two sites I look at are the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and Hagia Sophia which is in, the now, Istanbul. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a third site as I was unable to locate the Mosque of Footprints on any search engine. However, the three objects I look at are; the first being a Qur’an from Syria from the time which Ibn Battuta had been in (The Metropolitan Museum of Arts). Second being a “’Umra Certificate” found in Jerusalem, which had to be used by every person who went on Hajj (The Metropolitan Museum of Arts). And thus, it is possible that those Ibn Battuta travelled with, and himself, were likely to have carried one of these certificates through their pilgrimage. My last object was a bowl located in Syria (The Metropolitan Museum of Arts). Given the time period of this bowl matching the travel period of Ibn Battuta, I can assume that this was the style of bowls which was used by him and his companions at their stay in Damascus. What I felt like I learned through this map and research, was that such travels are no longer done, as many modern day pilgrimage journeys are only travelling to the Mecca in Madina. But this must have held such a strong spiritual connection to the people, to the religions around and to the land itself. Seeing how far Damascus was from Constantinople, and knowing there were no cars or planes at that time, I can only assume that it was as gratifying as tiring. In perspectives to the digital mapping itself, it was very interesting to do as I have never done such a hands on assignment. It brought me closer to the story, as I was working to find objects and pictures as close to the story as possible, which is not something you necessarily get to do in other assignments. In all, through my research, I was able to create a digital map which shares the story of one of the greatest travellers, Ibn Battuta. 

 

 

References 

 

 

Ekhtiar, Maryam, Sheila R. Canby, Navina Haidar, and Priscilla P. Soucek, ed. Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1st ed. ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. no. 90, pp. 141-142, ill. p. 141 (color).

 

Jenkins-Madina, Marilyn. "Islamic Pottery: A Brief History." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, vol. 40, no. 4 (Spring 1983). no. 33, p. 31, ill. pl. 33 (b/w).

 

“L'église Sainte Sophie De Constantinople, Bâtie Par Constantin Le Grand, à Présent Mosquée Du Grand Seigneur / Diverses Vues De Rome Et Des Environs.” British Museum, British Museum , www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3141396&partId=1&searchText=hagia sophia&sortBy=fromDateDesc&page=1. 

 

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Jerusalem 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven," September 26, 2016–January 8, 2017.

 

 The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 820-27. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton & Company)

 

“Print / Book-Illustration.” British Museum, British Museum , www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1587084&partId=1&searchText=dome of the rock&sortBy=fromDateDesc&page=1.