Ibn Battuta

Moroccan, 1304 – c.1368

Ibn Battuta was a Muslim scholar who began his extensive travels when he was around 21 years old with a pilgrimage to Mecca. Following that, he resolved to travel throughout the Islamic world, and he did so for the next 29 years, visiting numerous Muslim countries as well as others such as Russia, China and India. When Battuta returned to Morocco in 1354, he wrote The Rihla, an account of his adventures. Despite the fact that his work has been overshadowed by authors such as Marco Polo, he is frequently referred to as the greatest explorer of all time.

In his lifetime, Ibn Battuta travelled around 120,000km, more than any other pre-modern explorer