Do you think Ibn Battuta's account is useful in arriving at an understanding of life in contemporary urban centres? Give reasons for your answer.
Battuta’s observation about the cities of India.
(i) According to him, Indian cities had many exciting opportunities and are useful for those who had the necessary drive, skill and resources.
(ii)The Indian cities were prosperous and densely populated.
(iii)These cities had colourful market trading in different kinds of goods.
(iv)Delhi was the largest city of India and had a lot of population. Daultabad was an another important city of India which challenged Delhi in size.
(v)The cities were not only the centre of economic transactions but also the centres of ! social and cultural activities.
(vii)Most of the bazars in the cities had temple and mosques.
(viii)Cities also had fixed places for public performances by dancer, musicians and singer. He found that many towns derived their wealth and prosperity through the appropriation of surplus from villages.
(ix)Indian goods were in great demand in west Asia and South-east Asia. So the artisans and merchants earned huge profit.
On an outline map of the world, mark the countries visited by Ibn Battuta. What are the seas that he might have crossed?
Do you think Ibn Battuta's account is useful in arriving at an understanding of life in contemporary urban centres? Give reasons for your answer.
Read this excerpt from Bernier:
List the crafts mentioned in the passage. Compare these with the descriptions of artisanal activity in the chapter.
Discuss the extent to which Bernier’s accounts enables historians to reconstruct contemporary rural society.
Compare and contrast the perspectives from which Ibn Battuta and Bernier wrote their accounts of their travels in India.