Ibn Battuta sails along the east coast of Africa pp. 110-112
I took ship at Aden, and after four days at sea reached Zayla [Zeila, on the African
coast], the town of the Berberah, who are a negro people. Their land is a desert extending
for two months' journey from Zayla to Maqdashaw [Mogadishu]. Zayla is a large city with a
great bazaar, but it is the dirtiest, most abominable, and most stinking town in the
world. The reason for the stench is the quantity of its fish and the blood of the camels
that they slaughter in the streets. When we got there, we chose to spend the night at sea,
in spite of its extreme roughness, rather than in the town, because of its filth.
The town of Mogadishu in Somalia
On leaving Zayla we sailed for fifteen days and came to Maqdasha [Mogadishu], which is
an enormous town. Its inhabitants are merchants and have many camels, of which they
slaughter hundreds every day [for food]. When a vessel reaches the port, it is met by
sumbuqs, which are small boats, in each of which are a number of young men, each carrying
a covered dish containing food. He presents this to one of the merchants on the ship
saying "This is my guest," and all the others do the same. Each merchant on
disembarking goes only to the house of the young man who is his host, except those who
have made frequent journeys to the town and know its people well; these live where they
please. The host then sells his goods for him and buys for him, and if anyone buys
anything from him at too low a price, or sells to him in the absence of his host, the sale
is regarded by them as invalid. This practice is of great advantage to them.
We stayed there [in Mogadishu] three days, food being brought to us three times a day,
and on the fourth, a Friday, the qadi and one of the wazirs brought me a set of garments.
We then went to the mosque and prayed behind the [sultan's] screen. When the Shaykh came
out I greeted him and he bade me welcome. He put on his sandals, ordering the qadi and
myself to do the same, and set out for his palace on foot. All the other people walked
barefooted. Over his head were carried four canopies of coloured silk, each surmounted by
a golden bird. After the palace ceremonies were over, all those present saluted and
retired.
Ibn Battuta sails to Mombasa pp. 112-113.
I embarked at Maqdashaw [Mogadishu] for the Sawahil [Swahili] country, with the object
of visiting the town of Kulwa [Kilwa, Quiloa] in the land of the Zanj.
We came to Mambasa [Mombasa], a large island two days' journey by sea from the Sawihil
country. It possesses no territory on the mainland. They have fruit trees on the island,
but no cereals, which have to be brought to them from the Sawahil. Their food consists
chiefly of bananas and fish.The inhabitants are pious, honourable, and upright, and they
have well-built wooden mosques.
Kulwa on the African mainland
We stayed one night in this island [Mombasa], and then pursued our journey to Kulwa,
which is a large town on the coast. The majority of its inhabitants are Zanj, jet-black in
colour, and with tattoo marks on their faces. I was told by a merchant that the town of
Sufala lies a fortnight's journey [south] from Kulwa and that gold dust is brought to
Sufala from Yufi in the country of the Limis, which is a month's journey distant from it.
Kulwa is a very fine and substantially built town, and all its buildings are of wood. Its
inhabitants are constantly engaged in military expeditions, for their country is
contiguous to the heathen Zanj.
The sultan at the time of my visit was Abu'l-Muzaffar Hasan, who was noted for his
gifts and generosity. He used to devote the fifth part of the booty made on his
expeditions to pious and charitable purposes, as is prescribed in the Koran, and I have
seen him give the clothes off his back to a mendicant who asked him for them. When this
liberal and virtuous sultan died, he was succeeded by his brother Dawud, who was at the
opposite pole from him in this respect. Whenever a petitioner came to him, he would say,
"He who gave is dead, and left nothing behind him to be given." Visitors would
stay at his court for months on end, and finally he would make them some small gift, so
that at last people gave up going to his gate.
Source: Ibn Battuta, Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354 [full text at this site]
Ibn Battuta, Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354, trans. and ed. H. A. R. Gibb
(London: Broadway House, 1929) PDF of 1929 edition [Internet Archive]
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© Paul Halsall, January 2023
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