Ibn Jubayr, late 12th-century secretary to the governor of Granada, made his pilgrimage (hajj) from
Spain to Mecca in 1183. He kept a detailed journal
of his travels, including his visits to various cities in
addition to Mecca, and published an account of his
journey when he returned to Granada in 1185. The
Travels of Ibn Jubayr is a vivid account of the
Mediterranean world and the Middle East of the
12th century.
Ibn Jubayr was born in Valencia to an old and
distinguished family. He was educated in the
KORAN as well as Islamic law, literature, and tradition, and composed poetry as well. Having gained
a reputation for his learning and his piety, he was
made secretary to the Moorish governor of Spain’s
wealthiest city, Granada. Although the pilgrimage
to Mecca is a sacred obligation for all Muslims of
sufficient means to undertake at least once in their
lifetimes, Ibn Jubayr decided to make his in 1183 as
a kind of penance for having drunk seven glasses of
wine that had been forced upon him by his superior, the governor. He took as his companion on
his journey a physician from Granada named Ibn
Hassan.
Ibn Jubayr seems to have kept his journal on a
daily basis, noting his impressions and details
about places, people, and unusual customs immediately, while they were fresh in his mind. He describes at length Mecca and Medina, Islam’s
holiest cities. But he is also impressed by Alexandria, and describes its famous lighthouse. He is
also interested in the government of the sultan of
Egypt, particularly his generosity to students and
to the poor. In Sicily he remarks upon the volcanoes and the beauty and wealth of Palermo. He
describes, in addition, his visits to Jerusalem,
Baghdad, Cairo, and Syria, and speaks with great
admiration of Saladin.
Although Ibn Jubayr is known to have traveled
extensively on other occasions, he left a record only
of his 1183–85 journey. He later is said to have
taught at Fez, and to have accumulated a significant fortune, though tradition says that, out of
piety, he gave up his riches.
Bibliography
Broadhurst, R. J. C., trans. The Travels of Ibn Jubayr.
London: J. Cape, 1952.