King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh has revealed that it has acquired a rare copy of the first printed and widely known English translation of Ibn Battuta’s travels, published 197 years ago, specifically on April 27, 1829.

The British Orientalist and linguist Samuel Lee translated Ibn Battuta’s renowned book: (The Rihla of Ibn Battuta: A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling) into English. In doing so, he relied on abridged manuscript copies preserved at the University of Cambridge Library in Britain, and based his translation on an abridged Arabic manuscript rather than the complete text of the journey. He also added a collection of scholarly and historical comments on the journey, as well as a number of explanatory footnotes on history, geography, countries, plants, monuments, archaeological sites, and scholarly and historical figures.

The book consists of 294 pages. The translator included numerous pages in Arabic in his translation, particularly in the footnotes, where he referred to several Arabic books such as: Khulasat al-Akhbar, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Al-Isharat fi Ma'rifat al-Ziyarat, Taqwim al-Buldan, Yatimat al-Dahr, Khulasat Tahqiq al-Zunun fi Sharh al-Mutun, and Marasid al-Ittila' Ala Asma' al-Amkinah, among other books. He also included a large number of Arab and Islamic scholarly and historical figures, as well as a number of cities and countries.

The book: (A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling) is considered one of the most famous travel books in history. It describes Ibn Battuta’s journey after he spent 30 years travelling through countries around the world. Sultan Abu Inan al-Marini ordered the journey to be recorded and selected an Andalusian jurist who had joined the Marinid court, Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, for this purpose. The dictation of the work took place in the city of Fez in 756 AH.

Ibn Battuta is: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Lawati al-Tanji, Abu Abdullah, Ibn Battuta: (703 AH / 1304 AD – 770 AH / 1369 AD), a renowned traveller and historian. His travels were the reason for his fame, and he was given the title “Prince of Muslim Travellers” by the Cambridge Society. He began his travels at the age of 21 and travelled three times, visiting North and East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, the Near East, Andalusia, and West Africa.

It is worth noting that the book has been translated into various languages around the world, including Swedish, Portuguese, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and German.