Saw Ibn in Sri Lanka. Batuta

by Ameena Hussein

The fabled Moroccan Scholar Ibn Battuta is reputed to have travelled further through the medieval world than any other explorer, including Marco Polo. When Ameena Hussein sees a grimy street sign in Puttalam bearing his name, it precipitates a quest of her own, tracking Ibn Battuta’s trajectory in Lanka or Sarandib as he knew it.

From the pearl rich north-western coast, through Sri Pada known as the Mount of Lanka, down to Dewinuwara with its magnificent temple hosting dancing girls and Brahmin priests and onwards to Colombo – already a formidable maritime presence, she follows his trajectory to rejoin his starting point at Puttalam. Along the way, she seeks Ibn Battuta’s memory in the minds of men, and discovers a land brimming with myth and legend as colourful as the traveler himself.



A book for those who love the marvelous, multicultural land of Lanka – Tim Mackintosh Smith
A rich tapestry, bringing to life 14th century Sri Lanka – Shyam Selvadurai
A beautiful, sweeping book that shines light into the past – Nayomi Munaweera
A fabulously entertaining and remarkable feat of research – Nira Wickremasinghe

Paperback

Published October 5, 2024

About the author

Trained as a sociologist and having worked and studied in Los Angeles, after a short period in Geneva, Ameena Hussein returned to live in Sri Lanka in 2003. She is the co-founder of the Perera Hussein Publishing House which publishes cutting edge Sri Lankan fiction. She divides her time between Colombo and her country home where she grows trees to offset the environmental pollution in printing books. She has published two award winning collections of short stories, Fifteen and Zillij and in 2009 published her first novel, The Moon in the Water.

Reviews

[Jane Wilson-Howarth]

I wanted to like this book but really struggled to finish it, wondering as I read who the target audience is. I bought it in a Colombo bookshop so no doubt many readers will be local but for those of us not fluent in Tamil, Sinhala and Farsi, it would have been good to have a glossary and some help with the complex and violet history of Lanka. I still don't know what a devalue is, for example - and I've spent some months in Embilipitiya.
The text was all over the place geographically and also historically. I think I see that the author was bringing the reader along on her own journey of discovery but this approach left me bewildered. Maybe if there is a new edition the author, who is also the publisher, could add a historical timeline? It is a pity as there is a lot to say about the history of Muslims in this troubled isle, and this could have been said with greater clarity.

[Sanjeev Duglas]

It is a personal journey of a writer.She puts Ibn Battutas words and explores the path he would have taken.Many places she guessed , due to historical inaccuracy, we only hear the bystanders and local myths.The history should be explored but as it is not a historical book , it can be seen as writer just putting her theories throughout.Everyone could picture the history but reality would be based on facts.She puts more theories than actual facts.She tries to explore through some facts but historians never showed interest in this chapters.

[Lisa]

This is 5 stars for me but not for everyone else. I love Ibn Battuta’s story and writing. And while visiting Sri Lanka I found this book and it just pulled together so many good things. I haven’t read much from the Muslim perspective on Sri Lanka so appreciated that it was part travel and personal memoir as well as history. Ibn Battuta traveled over the AfroEurasian land mass and seas on a 22 year trip in the 1300s. The idea of following Ibn Battuta’s trail is such a good one. The author gave a sense of current life in Sri Lanka as well as the Muslim community here over the last 100 years.

[Miyon Lee]

In the process of following the footstep of Ibn Battuta he could have passed by, the author talks of the influence of Arab traders, Mosques, and Muslim faith in Sri Lanka, instead of the Buddhist perspectives foreigners are usually exposed to. I also had to search unfamiliar terms - mostly Hindu gods and Tamil terms - and histories to understand the contents.

[Sameera Lakmal]

exiting....

[Deshan Tennekoon]

Told with a light, thoughtful touch, this is a deep dive into the life of a fascinating human being.

[Kavinda Ratnapala]

And interesting travel vlog where the author traces the possible steps of the famed journeyman

However I found it a bit disconnected and a tough read