Girl Solo in Arabia
Traveling in the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta

By: Matthew McNaught 

Caroline McIntyre is a woman on a mission; to retrace the steps of Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan explorer who traveled to the outer limits of the Islamic world in the 14th century. She hopes that her solo journey will encourage people in the west to reassess their preconceptions about the Middle East, the region that has become her second home since she moved to Saudi Arabia when she was 17. "If I hadn't answered an advert in a London magazine recruiting flight attendants for a Saudi Arabian airline, the whole of my life would have turned out differently. Before then, the Middle East wasn't even on my radar; I knew nothing about it". The flight attendant job was the start of a lifetime's fascination with the region, and led to her successful career in a tour company specializing in adventure holidays in the Middle East. We caught up with her while on the Damascus leg of her journey to discuss her experiences, motivations, and plans for the future.

What initially inspired you to take this trip? And why did you decide to do it now?

I first came across Ibn Battuta in about 1991, reading a magazine article- I think it was the National Geographic. For some reason I was fascinated by his journey, so I got hold of the full English translation of his manuscripts. I was captivated, and when I came to the end I told myself that I would one day retrace his steps. That was 15 years ago. The idea has been with me all this time, but it's taken this long for all the factors to fall in to place that have made the journey possible. Over time I've gradually built up contacts in my job in the tour company and become familiar with the region. And so last year I decided that the time was right.

Also, I was keen to make the journey now because my own personal experience of the Middle East was so radically different to what I was reading and hearing over in the States. And as a tour guide I was always amazed by the questions I got from educated, well-traveled people, who wanted to go to Jordan, or Egypt, but were terrified because of the perceived instability of these places. As a resident of this part of the world I knew how different the reality was. And it occurred to me that it was a really good time to do this journey and portray the Islamic world as it is now, but using his words from the 14th century.

The time of Ibn Battuta wasn't the peak golden age of the Islamic world, but it was still an interesting time; the Mongols had just destroyed a lot of places, the Ottomans were just coming to power in Turkey while he was there, so it was a time of great change. And now the region is also in a time of great change, with lots of strong internal and external pressures.

How many countries have you visited so far? And how many still remain?

So far I've covered 15 countries, and there are 45 in total, though it's hard to tell exactly. There are some places where his trail is hard to follow, and it's generally agreed that he occasionally veered off into the realm of fantasy. He claimed to have visited Kazam in Russia, which most scholars agree didn't happen.

How hard has it been to find the exact places that Ibn Battuta referenced?

This really varied depending on the place. In some places it was amazingly easy- in Syria and Egypt, many of the major landmarks he described are fantastically well-preserved. However, in other places there are no traces left of what he described.

When he visited Hormuz Island, off the south coast of Iran, it was a powerful city that ruled a large area, and a prosperous trading port, but nowadays there are very few traces of this era- it's impossible to find any of the sights or structures he described. Similarly in Oman, most of the architecture he described has been destroyed- largely in the colonial war, when the ancient port was bombarded by the Portuguese. This can be disheartening, but it's just part of the journey. Also, I try to follow Ibn Battuta's route accurately, though it's not always possible. There's the whole issue of national boundaries, which he didn't face, there's war, and there's the problem of transportation; he always went by land or by ship, but now there are no ships, unless you have the money to charter one!

Are there any countries you haven't been able to get to?

So far I've been unable to get into Gaza; I tried to cross from the Egyptian side then from the Palestinian side, but in the end it wasn't possible. I'd still like to try again. I've also decided not to visit Iraq, which Ibn Battuta visited 3 times, and Somalia, because of the insecurity. I'm still hoping to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan, but obviously there's a possibility that it might become difficult.

What have been the highlights of the trip so far?

There have been a lot of great moments… Algeria is one of the most spectacular places I’ve seen so far. I met some astonishing people; fantastic musicians playing old Andalusian music, folk singers and people dedicated to saving the old Kasbah... It’s a beautiful country as well, which for some reason I wasn’t really expecting. It was a very moving experience as well- there was hardly a family left untouched by disaster... It was an incredibly vicious war, and it seems people still find it difficult to come to terms with it. Even so, I never experienced any hostility while I was there; the people were all very friendly and welcoming.

One unforgettable day was in Palestine. I was in Hebron, with my Palestinian guide, and we were driving down through the hills looking for various sights that Ibn Battuta had described. One of the things he talked about was the tomb of Fatima, who was the Prophet Mohammed’s great-granddaughter. He goes into great detail about this tomb, describing a nearby mosque where Abraham used to pray and its view over the Jordan River. So anyway, we were driving along and there were roadblocks everywhere, but eventually we found this little village and the mosque. The mosque was exactly how he had described it, down to the smallest detail, so we thought the tomb must be somewhere nearby. Then we saw a cave. My guide refused to go down, since it was very deep, very dark and we didn’t have a flashlight. At this moment, two Israeli soldiers came up and asked us what we were doing. We explained about the tomb, and I asked them if they had a flashlight. They went back to their checkpoint and returned with a massive flashlight, and the four of us ventured down into the cave. And there was the tomb, matching Ibn Battuta’s description exactly.. My guide could still just about make out the words inscribed on the side, and it was incredible to hear the very same words that Ibn Battuta had documented so long ago. It was such a surreal moment; here we were in this occupied land, a British woman, a Palestinian, and two soldiers- his enemies, together in a cave discovering the tomb of Fatima. And moments like this really make everything worthwhile.

And what about the difficult or discouraging parts of the trip so far?

I don't know if there have been any really discouraging points yet, although I expect there are some still to come. One of the reasons is that in this part of the world there is an enormous amount of documentation, and I rely a lot on the translator's footnotes- they've scrolled through reams and reams of medieval documents to come up with corroborating information, so up until now we know that his story's pretty accurate. But from here on it's going to get pretty difficult, particularly in countries like Libya and Sudan where there is very little written history- areas which in the past have been mostly populated by nomads, with no written records.

How important have local guides been on your journey?

They've been hugely important. Having been in the business, I knew many great guides from before who were willing to work with me, and had an incredible knowledge of the geography and history of their countries. A good guide can transform your experience of a place, and on my journey so far I've had several outstanding guides, people who understand where your interests lie and are extraordinarily gifted in their ability to give information and to inspire. On the other hand, I've had some terrible guides, who have made certain parts of the trip more difficult. Of course, Ibn Battuta was also dependent on local guides, and you get the feeling he had some of the same problems- his account of frankincense production in Oman makes it clear that he received inaccurate information from his guide- he describes how the sap is extracted from the leaf of the tree, when in reality it comes from the trunk.

How are you documenting your travels? And what will be the end product?

I have a website now, which I regularly update, and it’s getting quite a lot of traffic. It’s ended up being much more of a literal account of what’s left from Ibn Battuta’s trip; a kind of gazetteer of Islamic monuments. Children in schools are following the website, so it’s definitely more educational and informational. I’m also writing a book, which is going to be very different from the website- there’s more of my own perceptions and opinions, and more funny and quirky things that have happened along the way. I’m continuing to work for some of the time as a tour guide, and the 5 or 6 tours I lead in a year fund my Ibn Battuta travels. It’s become a real way of life.

Have you been traveling alone for the whole journey?

Yes, my website’s called “Girl Solo in Arabia”! I decided from the start that I wanted to do the journey on my own, because then it’s my own impression, whether it’s right or wrong. Of course, I’ve got nothing against friends coming along for small sections of the journey, but by and large I’m going solo. So you’ve got to be pretty self sufficient, and most of the time I am. As long as I have books to read I’m ok. Although you have to learn to accept that there will be a lot of waiting around.

What kind of reactions do you get when you explain your journey to locals?

They're always really surprised when I explain the aim of my journey, but they’re always very pleased and amused by the idea. Ibn Battuta is a household name across the whole region but often people don’t know that much about him. They’re generally very willing to help me, even though they think I’m mad! But I don't mind that.

You're obviously writing this book for a western audience; what message do you hope to get across to your readers?

Although my book seeks to address western misconceptions about the Islamic world, it’s not an academic study. It’s first and foremost a travel book, but it addresses these issues indirectly through anecdotes and stories of the characters and situations I’ve encountered. I also think it’s important to portray the great variety and complexity of this region, and I hope my book can go some way towards doing this.

I wanted to write more about the lives of women in the region- Ibn Battuta doesn’t touch on the subject at all, firstly because they didn’t count much in his world, but secondly because he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to gain an insight into that side of things. So far I’ve had some interesting insights into the lives of women in the region, though it’s been harder than I expected. I haven’t met as many women as I would have liked, and a large part of this is the time it takes to organize and prepare these things. But that continues to be an important aspect of my trip.

 One of the great areas of misunderstanding between the Arab world and the West is the subject of women. Of course, there are problems, especially in countries like Saudi Arabia, but things are changing, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before things improve. People often forget that women in the West didn’t have many rights until relatively recently; we couldn’t inherit property, we couldn’t vote. So we can’t expect the Arabic world to accept every aspect of our culture straight away.

What are you planning to do after you finish your journey?

I don’t know, it’s scary to even think about that! I really love leading tours, so I want to continue doing that. I’m also interested in developing small-scale sustainable tourism projects that really benefit the communities that host them… I really believe tourism can be a positive force if done well- if you really get to know people from a different place or culture, you start to see the news differently.