Kozhikode: Malabar occupies a special place in the writings of renowned Moroccan traveller and Islamic scholar Ibn Battuta in the 13th century. He had stayed here for a brief period and documented the life of Muslims in Malabar and the respect they earned in that era.
A meeting to commemorate his journey was organised by Ma’din Academy of Malappuram here on Tuesday.
Moroccan ambassador to India H.E. Muhammad Maliki inaugurated the event. “Battuta’s expedition underlines the depth of the relations Morocco had with countries acr-oss the globe. As a tribute to the great traveller, we are planning to build a permanent memorial for him,” said Mr Maliki.
Ma’din academy is conducting an exhaustive study on Battuta’s travel and the history of Mal-abar as a part of its 20th anniversary and the event was the second commemoration function. The first was held in Morocco.
Historians M.G.S. Nara-yanan, K.K.N. Kurup, Dr Hussain Randathani and M.K. Raghavan MP among others spoke.
Ibn Battuta who visited Malabar between 1342 and 1347 worked as a judge (Qazi) in the court of Muhammed Bin Tug-hluq in Delhi. He first arrived as an emissary of Tugh-luq travelling overland and by sea from Delhi to China,carrying precious presents and slave girls for the emperor of the Yuan dynasty.
