Ibn Battuta

Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.

I have indeed - praise be to God - attained my desire in this world, which was to travel through the earth, and I have attained in this respect what no other person has attained to my knowledge.

Traveling gives you home in a thousand strange places, then leaves you a stranger in your own land.

Their women are of surpassing beauty, and are shown more respect than the men. These people are Muslims, punctilious in observing the hours of prayer, studying the books of law, and memorizing the Koran. Yet their women show no bashfulness before men and do not veil themselves, though they are assiduous in attending prayers. Any man who wishes to marry one of them may do so, but they do not travel with their husbands, and, even if one desired to do so, her family would not allow her to go. The women have their 'friends' and 'companions' amongst the men outside their own families.

I was much astonished at this: but, seeing the sailors in the utmost perturbation, and bidding farewell to one another, I said, Pray what is the matter? They said, What we supposed to be a mountain, is really a Rokh, and if he sees us, we shall assuredly perish, there being now between us and him a distance of ten miles only. But God, in his goodness, gave us a good wind, and we steered our course in a direction from him, so that we saw no more of him; nor had we any knowledge of the particulars of his shape.

The juggler then took the limbs of the boy and applied them one to another: he then stamped upon them, and it stood up complete and erect. I was astonished, and was seized in consequence by a palpitation at the heart: but they gave me some drink, and I recovered. The judge of the Mohammedans was sitting by my side, who swore, that there was neither ascent, descent, nor cutting away of limbs, but the whole was mere juggling.

On the bank of the Nile opposite Old Cairo is the place known as The Garden, which is a pleasure park and promenade, containing many beautiful gardens, for the people of Cairo are given to pleasure and amusements. I witnessed a fete once in Cairo for the sultan's recovery from a fractured hand; all the merchants decorated their bazaars and had rich stuffs, ornaments and silken fabrics hanging in their shops for several days.

I set out alone finding no companion to cheer the way with friendly intercourse. and no party of travelers with whom to associate.

The sea is one of the most powerful and wonderful things I have ever seen and I wish to remain by the sea all the time.

I went on board, leaving my companions behind, and saw the Sultan of India, the most generous, courageous, and powerful of men, but without a drop of mercy in his heart.

The women of this country do not cover their heads even when they are in the house of the king. They are beautiful, and their bodies are well-proportioned.

Never did I see a man who was more eager to make gifts and to shed blood.

I saw a man who had two heads, and another who had three legs, and another who had a hand like an elephant's trunk.

The people of this city are all black, and their teeth are white, and their women are very beautiful.

I was greatly astonished at these people, and their women, who do not observe any modesty towards men.

The inhabitants of this country are all polytheists, and they worship idols. They have a temple where they perform their rites.

I saw a man whose body was covered with hair, and he had a tail like a monkey.

In this country, the women are beautiful, and they do not wear veils. They are skilled in spinning and weaving.

They eat human flesh, and they consider it a delicacy.

I was given a girl slave as a gift, and she was very beautiful.