This Moroccan traveller was born in Tangier into one of the most respectable and educated families known for their expertise in Islamic religious law or shari'a. True to the tradition of his family, Ibn Battuta received literary and scholastic education when he was quite young. Travelling overland through Central Asia, Ibn Battuta reached Sind in 1333. He had heard about Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi, and lured by his reputation as a generous patron of arts and letters, set off for Delhi, passing through Multan and Uch.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Yemen
Option (1) Sri Lanka — Incorrect. He went to Sri Lanka from the Maldives, again after 1342, long after he had come to India.
Option (2) Sumatra — Incorrect. Ibn Battuta took a ship to Sumatra only after 1342, on his way to China as the Sultan's envoy to the Mongol ruler.
Option (3) The Maldives — Incorrect. He reached the Maldives after 1342 on the way to China, and stayed there for eighteen months as the qazi.
Option (4) Yemen — Correct. Before leaving for India in 1332-33, Ibn Battuta had made pilgrimage trips to Mecca and travelled in Syria, Iraq, Persia, Yemen, Oman and ports of East Africa.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 An early globe-trotter … |