Question map
Ibn Batuta went to China as the envoy of which one of the following Delhi Sultans?
Explanation
Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveler, arrived in Delhi during the 14th century during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq [4]. Impressed by his scholarship, the Sultan appointed him as a qazi (judge) in Delhi, a position he held for several years [2]. Despite a period of misunderstanding and house arrest, he was restored to imperial service in 1342 [3]. Muhammad bin Tughluq then appointed him as his official envoy to the Mongol ruler of China (the Yuan Dynasty) [3]. His journey to China was circuitous, involving stops at the Malabar coast, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bengal, and Sumatra before reaching the Chinese port of Zaytun (Quanzhou) [3]. His detailed travelogue, the Rihla, provides a comprehensive account of the Sultan's administration and the global communication networks of that era [2].
Sources
- [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers > 2.1 An early globe-trotter > p. 119
- [4] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers > The child sati > p. 137
- [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers > 5. Ibn Battuta and the Excitement of the Unfamiliar > p. 126
- [3] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers > 2.1 An early globe-trotter > p. 118