Thanks to commenter ‘Sparky’ for pointing me to the blog Girl Solo in Arabia. This blog is the multi-year effort of Carolyn McIntyre, who is following the path(s) of the great Arab traveler Ibn Battuta. Ibn Battuta traveled much of the Islamic world during his 14th C. CE life, ranging from Tangier in modern-day Morocco to China. His travels were documented in the famed Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, often abbreviated to The Journey. While often edited down to a more manageable size, you can buy the entire work in the 1929 translation by H.A.R. Gibb on line.
The blog is a travelogue. Somewhat similar to Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of Islam’s Greatest Traveler, the writer does his/her best to follow the convoluted path that took Ibn Battuta to the ends of the Islamic world.
‘Solo Girl in Arabia’ is fun to read. It’s not scholastically deep, but relays much common information (and misinformation) about the places Ibn Battuta found interesting. Simply locating some of those places, 600 years later, is a market achievement. McIntyre’s style is light and entertaining. I definitely suggest you take a look.
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November:14:2009 - 01:26
Ibn Batuta visited Mecca a couple of times. I wonder how she’ll manage that?
November:14:2009 - 06:47
I was interested in her pics of Saudi. I like the beduin man with the coffee. She says it’s customary to take two arabic coffee cups full. IT would be nice if it was customary to say fill my coffee mug with that stuff cause it’s good
November:14:2009 - 09:12
Well, she used the Madina airport… if that’s outside the restricted limits, perhaps Mecca’s is, too. If not, then perhaps she is Muslim. I doubt the second as she didn’t write about visiting Mecca.
November:15:2009 - 09:36
The world seems to have forgotten another ocean traveler, a Saudi man and his Egyptian wife who from 1986 to 1988 circumnavigated the globe in a 31 foot sailboat becoming the first Arabs and Muslims to sail around the world.
You can read the story I wrote for Arab News about them here. It would be nice if Carolyn McIntyre knew about this circumnavigation.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=70562&d=23&m=9&y=2005
November:15:2009 - 09:40
Hopefully, she’ll read about it here!