Ibn Battuta mall in Dubai – how I learned of a great traveler and enjoyed myself to boot
Malls are evil nests of uninspired money hungry executives whose only desire is to suck the life out of our wallets. If you have been with me for awhile, you will know I dont like them. I dont like their glitz, I dont like their predictable range, their mega department stores, their lack of daylight, their decorations which come up 2-3 months before the holiday in question, and more.
A mall is a mall is a mall…is a mall.
And then, as sometimes happens, I was proven wrong.
Ibn Battuta mall in Dubai is inspired by the extensive travels of the 14th century Muslim Moroccan explorer with the same name. He started on his journey as a 21 year old youngster, predictably headed towards Mecca. But he did not stop there. Covering most of the Islamic lands of the time, he passed for shorter and longer times through Egypt, Syria, Iraq and throughout the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, up through East Europe, Southern Russia, Mongolia, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and all the way to Beijing in China. Almost 30 years later he came back home on a ship that was transporting hundreds of African slaves.
Amazing.
We all have heard of the merchant Marco Polo, yet, Ibn Battuta was a complete unknown to me. Why?
Ibn Battuta is considered one of the greatest travellers of all time. He journeyed more than 75,000 miles (121,000 km), a figure unsurpassed by any individual explorer until the coming of the Steam Age some 450 years later.
(Wikipedia)
Is it because he was a Muslim traveler? How many other incredible explorers have I not heard of, just because they did not do it for the cross? How much history am I missing as a whole?
_
The result is a building in which for the first time I was able to enjoy a visit to the mall. Sectioned in 5 different courts – Andalusia, Persia, India, Egypt and China – each decorated intricately with attention to detail only a rich country like UAE can afford, providing plenty for someone like me, not interested in the outlets around, to see. It is opulent with beautiful main halls, yet with intimate parts, where low ceilings and pavement makes you feel cozy and at ease. For those that are interested, exhibits provide information on Ibn Battuta and his journey.
As far as malls are concerned, this one was a delight. And I gained knowledge as well.
Please, come in.
Ðа поÑледната Ñнимка турÑки Ñладолед, който вадÑÑ‚ ÑÑŠÑ Ñаби ли е?
Мда, нещо подобно. И правеше разни трикове, та децата Ñе хилиха като зелета.
Whoa!!! quite appealing!!! Ive heard about him before but never really tried to know about him.But, after reading your post am gonna read about him. :)
Даа, МОЛ-ÑŠÑ‚ изглежда фантаÑтичен – като кръÑтоÑка между МОЛ и музей! ÐрабÑката пищноÑÑ‚ наиÑтина е ненадмината и Ñи е Ñтрувало да Ñе разгледа. Раз тъкмо реших, че Ñъм Ñвидетел на невероÑтното – един упорит Телец да Ñи промени мнението за нещо и да го Ñъобщи публично! ;)
ОтноÑно иÑториÑта – вÑÑко образование е вид пропаганда, пък и донÑкъде цели да поддържа ÑамочувÑтвието на Ñъответната нациÑ/общноÑÑ‚, че и Ñ‚Ñ Ðµ дала нещо на Ñвета.
Beautiful. The blue sky and the feel of an outdoor shopping area resembled a mall in Vegas. Not nearly as intregate though. The detail is wonderful.
To be honest… I don’t know. It may look wonderful and artful and all (it does!), but in the end it is still an “evil place” (your term!). Maybe more so, when even people like you are being guided into enjoying yourself and wanting to stay. I have a bad feeling when I see all this decorum and style which is copied from temples and palaces – places of worship, places of divinity or great power. Should a mall look to be such a place? Is this not actually a revelation about the true nature of a mall: worshipping the Consumer God and the power of money?
Really – I don’t know…
Still – it could guide you to new knowledge. So there is a little good in everything :-)
(And by the way: Ibn Battuta’s tales about his explorations are by no means undisputed! He could even have been something like the German writer Karl May…)
Jenny, you are a woman of my own heart. I agree with you completely. It is still evil, but at least with some value for people like me. It still did not make me spend money and I still did not pay attention to the shops, so I dont feel tricked at least. But I did find some pleasure in walking through, which was definitely new for me.
Itilien haha, I am never wrong really, this was just a generous play of words ;) And yes, education is clearly propaganda. Ours was most definitely, but every nation looks at history from their own little window, which is often even narrower than we can imagine.
Ok. Sold! We will spend more then just 24 hours there. :-) Like you, we like the culture and scenery more then the shopping. This mall we have to see.
Thanks.
Nancy and Shawn, Dubai definitely needs more than 24 hours to be explored. It is so spread out that it will be hard to do in a day. 2-3 days will be plenty though.
Another cool explorer is Richard Haliburton from Memphis. His first book is “The Royal Road to Romance” and it is so awesome – the 1920s writing style makes it even better. Here is a little taste via Wikipedia: When he was finishing up at college, “His father advised him to get the wanderlust from his system, return to Memphis and adjust his life to “an even tenor.”
“I hate that expression”, Richard responded, expressing the view that distinguished his life-style, “and as far as I am able I intend to avoid that condition. When impulse and spontaneity fail to make my way uneven then I shall sit up nights inventing means of making my life as conglomerate and vivid as possible…. And when my time comes to die, I’ll be able to die happy, for I will have done and seen and heard and experienced all the joy, pain and thrills—any emotion that any human ever had—and I’ll be especially happy if I am spared a stupid, common death in bed”
He died on a Chinese junk after traveling the world. His recounting of spending the night on the grounds of the Taj Mahal and getting so freaked out in the early monring hours that he busted himself and ran to the guards is awesome.
Hah, All this mall appreciation must be a reaction to India – I wrote an ode to mall in my last post and coming from NYC – we don’t “do” malls!
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