An exceptionally rare manuscript of Ibn Battuta’s “Rihla”, or travelogue, has been offered for nearly AED 1 million at the 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. It is one of only seven known complete or partial copies of the work worldwide.

The manuscript was brought to the fair by London-based rare bookseller Peter Harrington and covers Ibn Battuta’s travels between 1325 and 1333. Its particular significance to the region lies in its record of some of the earliest eyewitness accounts of areas in Oman, the modern-day UAE and elsewhere in the Gulf.

In the manuscript, Ibn Battuta mentions places including Nizwa, Qalhat, Kalba and Khor Fakkan, as well as pearl diving off the coasts of Bahrain and Qatif. His account is considered one of the earliest known descriptions of the region following the establishment of New Hormuz in the early 14th century.

The manuscript also chronicles Ibn Battuta’s journey from Tangier to Cairo, Damascus, Medina and Mecca, followed by Iraq, Iran, the Red Sea, East Africa, Anatolia and Central Asia, ending with his account of Nishapur. Its description of the Hajj is also among the few significant first-hand medieval accounts of the religious pilgrimage.

Measuring about 250 by 190 millimetres, the manuscript was written on handmade paper in Maghribi script and features a dark brown-black leather binding with embossed and gilt decoration.

Born in Tangier in 1304, Ibn Battuta travelled nearly 120,000 kilometres over about three decades, with his journeys spanning much of the Islamic world and extending as far as China and Sumatra.