There were a total of three famous, known globetrotters before Christopher Columbus voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492: Ibn Batutta (1304-1368), Marco Polo (1254-1324), and Zheng He (1371-1433)
It is peculiar that this extraordinary explorer is so little known in Western countries to this day.
"Ibn Battuta, was a Berber Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, largely in the Muslim world, travelling more than any other explorer in pre-modern history, totalling around 117,000 km (73,000 mi), surpassing Zheng He with about 50,000 km (31,000 mi) and Marco Polo with 24,000 km (15,000 mi).[4][5][6] Over a period of thirty years, Ibn Battuta visited most of southern Eurasia, including Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, China, and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, he dictated an account of his journeys, titled A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, but commonly known as The Rihla."
Here is a recent YouTube video about this life: The Incredible Journey of Medieval Adventurer Ibn Battuta (This video is about 2 hours long and I did not yet have time to watch it, but the channel has produced other recommendable history videos before)
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