Ibn Battuta bought slaves in Sind as gifts for the Sultan, and gave the Multan governor a slave and a horse. What does this suggest about how such travellers viewed slavery?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → They sometimes took social inequities for granted as a natural state of affairs.
Option (1) They often wrote to show that slavery was harsher in India than in Europe. — Incorrect. Ibn Battuta makes no comparison with Europe here. He bought and gave slaves himself, like any other gift.
Option (2) They sometimes took social inequities for granted as a natural state of affairs. — Correct. Ibn Battuta lists slaves beside horses, camels, raisins and almonds with no comment. Slaves were sold like any other commodity, and travellers took such inequities for granted.
Option (3) They recorded slave purchases mainly to report the prices paid in Indian markets. — Incorrect. The account lists the gifts and gives no prices. The low price of slaves comes up elsewhere, with their use for domestic labour.
Option (4) They noted such gifts mainly to complain about the customs of the Sultan's court. — Incorrect. Ibn Battuta took part in the custom himself and gave such gifts. His account records them with no complaint.
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