IBN BATTUTA ON THE MARITIME SILK ROAD BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA
When Ibn Battuta was in India he wanted to get out of his job there working for Muhammad Tughluq, the Sultan of Delhi. He asked the sultan if he could make another hajj. But his request was denied. Knowing of Ibn Battuta's love of travel, the Sultan asked him instead to be his ambassador to Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty China. Given the opportunity to escape from Delhi and the sultan and visit new lands, he readily accepted. Ibn Battuta was given the duty of accompanying 15 Chinese messengers back to their homeland and carrying shiploads of gifts to the emperor. Now, not only was he was given an opportunity to get away from Muhammad Tughluq, but he was allowed to do so and visit new lands in grand style
Ibn Battuta had earlier spent several years traveling around the Middle East and East Africa and making his way across Central Asia to Delhi in India. A.S. Chughtai wrote: “ For several years Ibn Battuta enjoyed the patronage of Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq, and was later sent as Sultan's envoy to China. Passing through Cental India and Malwa he took ship from Kambay for Goa, and after visiting many thriving ports along the Malabar coast he reached the Maldive Islands, from which he crossed to Ceylon. Continuing his journey, he landed on the Ma'bar (Coromandal) coast and once more returning to the Maldives he finally set sail for Bengal and visited Kamrup, Sylhet and Sonargaon (near Dhaka). Sailing along the Arakan coast he came to Sumatra and later landed at Canton via Malaya and Cambodia. In China he travelled northward to Peking through Hangchow. [Source: A.S. Chughtai, Silk Road Foundation
Ibn Battuta's sea voyages and references to shipping reveal that the Muslims completely dominated the maritime activity of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Chinese waters. Also it is seen that though the Christian traders were subject to certain restrictions, most of the economic negotiations were transacted on the basis of equality and mutual respect
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