orig. Abū ʽAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʽAbd Allāh al-Lawātī al-Ṭanjī ibn Baṭṭūṭah
born Feb. 24, 1304, Tangier, Mor.
died 1368/69, Morocco
Noted Arab traveler and writer.
He received a traditional juristic and literary education in Tangier. After a pilgrimage to Mecca (1325), he decided to visit as many parts of the world as possible, vowing "never to travel any road a second time." His 27-year wanderings through Africa, Asia, and Europe covered some 75,000 mi (120,000 km). On his return, he dictated his reminiscences, which became one of the world's most famous travel books, the Riḥlah .