Palgrave Macmillan has published Faith, Commerce, and Cultural Exchange in the World of Ibn Battuta: Travelling Islam, a book offering a nuanced historical analysis of the connections and impact of Ibn Battuta’s fourteenth-century journeys across Asia, Africa, and Europe, as well as the influence of his travel memoir, The Rihla.
The book uses The Rihla as a lens through which to examine the complex interrelations of faith, commerce, and cultural exchange. Drawing on integrative historical perspectives, it explores the economic networks connected to Ibn Battuta’s travels, particularly the Indian Ocean trade routes; the history of religious pilgrimage, especially the Hajj, in facilitating the movement of people, ideas, and religious practices; and the spread of jurisprudence and cultural practices across the Indian Ocean world.
The volume also examines how Ibn Battuta’s journeys contributed to the development of regional legal systems and social norms, the relevance of his insights to contemporary global issues such as international trade, health, and sustainability, and his lasting legacy as a historian and figure of cultural exchange.
Edited by Abbas Panakkal, the book brings together Islamic studies, history, economics, law, and cultural anthropology to explore Ibn Battuta’s journeys. It also seeks to reassess his role as a cultural and intellectual bridge while examining how his travels shaped socio-cultural and religious landscapes that continue to resonate today.
The publication is the outcome of conversations, conferences, friendships, and scholarly collaborations across countries, bringing together fresh perspectives on the world of Ibn Battuta and the movement of faith, people, ideas, and commerce across regions.
The volume features contributions from Ross Edmunds Dunn, Elsadig Elfaqih, Aishath Muneeza, Mehrdad Shokoohy, Natalie H. Shokoohy, Arshad Islam, P. K. Yasser Arafath, Khalek Bin Awang, Alaeddin Tekin, Azeez Tharuvana, Kanchan Chandan, Musthafa P. Farook, E. C. Haskerali, Khoundkar Alamgir, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and William Gilcher.
The publication also acknowledges Prof. Nur Hidaya for her generous support and for bringing scholars together in a spirit of meaningful academic exchange. Appreciation is also extended to Noushad M. K. of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, for creating the book’s cover painting, and to Tim Mackintosh-Smith for his generous early praise and encouragement for the volume.
Faith, Commerce, and Cultural Exchange in the World of Ibn Battuta: Travelling Islam represents a scholarly journey that connects Ibn Battuta’s historic travels with contemporary academic journeys, highlighting the continuing importance of connections, intellectual exchange, and collaboration across borders.
