Ibn Battuta’s remarks of his travels say a great deal about his own culture and norms. Almost every place he travels to he brings up women and how they are treated, as well as what their status is in that society. He is also very amused with the décor of the buildings in terms of gold and silver decorations. It seems as though he does not come from a wealthy society or his family is not on the wealthy status level. Battuta also seems to bring up the cleanliness of each area he travels to. Ibn Battuta’s travels to Africa showed a lot about how he was brought up and also about his culture. He describes the occupants of the town of Zayla as “negro people” and when he arrives in the town of Kulwa he describes the Zanj people as “jet black
I believe he greatly disapproves of this bloodshed. Battuta also disapproves of the King compelling the Delhi occupants to leave the town through means of threatening and torture. The king had his men find two men and gave orders that the cripple be flung from a catapult, while the blind man be dragged a distance of forty day’s journey. He then brings up women again when discussing the female captives and how they are sold very cheap because they are dirty, even if they are educated. It seems as though in Battuta’s culture women are more respected because if they weren’t, I don’t believe he would bring up women as much as he did throughout his travels. He seems intrigued by the fact that they do not eat meat or drink wine and it is one of their greatest vices. Another thing he finds interesting is that the Muslims put to death anyone that steals something as minor as a single nut or that only the owner must pick up a fallen piece of fruit.
In his travels to China, he finds that it is like no other piece of land he has traveled to. He compares China’s great river to that of the Nile River with it being boarded by villages and abundant gardens. He speaks of how populated that area is and how it is even more cultivated and populated than the Nile. He compares the Chineses’ death rituals to that of the Hindus, where they also burn their dead. Battuta is also very interested in the eating habits of this culture, most likely because it is unlike his