700 Year Old Ibn Battuta Manuscript Sells for Nearly Dh1 Million in Abu Dhabi
A rare manuscript documenting Ibn Battuta’s journeys through the Hejaz and Gulf has fetched nearly Dh1 million at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
A rare manuscript containing one of the medieval world’s most important travel accounts has sold for nearly Dh1 million at the 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
The manuscript records the journeys of renowned Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta through the Hejaz and the Gulf. It was presented at the fair by London based rare book dealer Peter Harrington.
The manuscript forms part of the Rihla, Ibn Battuta’s famous account of his travels across the Islamic world during the 14th century. His journey began in Tangier in 1325 and took him through some of the most important cities and regions of the medieval world.
The surviving text covers his travels through Cairo, Damascus, Medina, Mecca, Iraq, Persia, the Red Sea, East Africa, the Gulf, Anatolia and parts of Central Asia. The manuscript ends with his account of Naysapur, now known as Nishapur in Iran.
One of the earliest accounts of the region
The manuscript is particularly valuable for its description of the Hajj and the Arabian Gulf.
Ibn Battuta’s account is considered one of only three major surviving medieval firsthand descriptions of the Hajj. The other two were written by Nasir Khusraw and Ibn Jubayr.
His writings also offer an important record of the southern Gulf following the emergence of New Hormuz around 1300. He documented visits to Qalhat and Nizwa in Oman, as well as Kalba and Khor Fakkan in present day Sharjah.
The manuscript also records pearl fishing activities along the coasts of Bahrain and Qatif, providing historians with a rare glimpse into the region’s maritime and economic life during the period.
Only seven copies known to survive
Only seven complete or incomplete copies of the Rihla are currently known to exist.
Most surviving versions are incomplete or abridged. The oldest known copy is an incomplete manuscript prepared by Ibn Battuta’s scribe, Ibn Juzayy. It is dated to 757 Hijri, corresponding to 1356 and 1357, and is preserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
Another copy is held at Cambridge.
The manuscript displayed in Abu Dhabi is a quarto measuring 250 by 190 millimetres. It is written in Maghribi script on laid paper and features a black brown calf binding with decorative tooling and gilt stamped designs.
Peter Harrington’s presence in the UAE
Peter Harrington has become a regular participant at major book fairs in the UAE.
The London based dealer has exhibited at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair since 2016 and has also participated in the Sharjah International Book Fair.
Over the years, the dealer has brought several historically significant works to the region. These have included a First Folio of Shakespeare valued at Dh20.8 million, the Rothschild collection of works by explorer Richard Burton valued at Dh9.2 million, and a manuscript of Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine priced at Dh464,550.
The sale of the Ibn Battuta manuscript adds another remarkable historical item to the growing list of rare works showcased at book fairs in the UAE.