We sat the three of us in the cafe in front of the railway station which is near the port of the old city Tangier, me and my two beloved friends whom they have a huge deal of cultural knowledge in their field. One of them carries history in his heart and the other one carries it in his mind, at the same time I’m listening to them and drinking the Moroccan tea with (Verbena) which gives it an outstanding smell, and eating some (Moroccan type of bread) With cheese and butter, and of course a dish with olive oil Because you can’t imagine yourself living in Morocco without olive oil… And because it’s February there was a smooth breeze coming from the port of Tangier which gives the cup of tea a very special taste. My friends didn’t really pay attention that I’m carefully analyzing their words even though I’m showing that I’m in a smooth harmony with the Moroccan tea and my admiration to the Meknasi olives, but they didn’t know that the eyes of a traveller are wide open like the eagle eyes, and this latter don’t really look for the information , yet they look for the person’s explanation of events. I didn’t come to this place by coincidence; I’m here to look for something pretty special and to find the exceptional secret which is hidden in the city which encountered the arrival of Ibn Batouta. The three of us make a special melting pot of people; we are all different. However there is something which makes us united, which is the will to learn and discover, but the thing I noticed about my friends is whenever one of them talk, he spreads his eyes wide open, and his face shines like he is talking about his love or the most beautiful lady in the world. It’s somehow weird how you easily get attached to this city. Furthermore, while I was there, I met an old lady and immediately asked her about where is she from? She didn’t give me a basic answer saying “I’m from Tangier” however, she replied by saying “ I’m Tangierian “. Her answer was very deep and meaningful as well, she didn’t pay more attention to her place of residence, but she confirmed the place where she belongs; Here I stopped for a while and then understood why they used to call Ibn Batouta by ‘The Tangerian Ibn Batouta’ .it is the wonderful affiliation and cohesion between Man and space, it seems like it’s a magical place that whenever someone passes by he falls in love with it.
I also started to feel as if I belong to Ibn Battuta’s city. My friends and I haven’t only gained the love of knowledge but also a deep love for the city of Ibn Batouta. Things began to be clear slowly to know the climate that Ibn Batouta came out of, so I decided to follow his steps and thoughts and try to understand what was going on in the head of this man, even if it’s after 700 years of his death. I went walking around alone in the streets of the old city where he used to come; I tried to imagine him walking and waving hello to people he knew between the small streets and dim lights in the evening. Passing by AL KASBAH and stopping in front of the big mosque amazed by the multiple type of the houses doors of this ancient city and bright colours that the young have painted, I walk from lane to lane and an alley to an alley, trying to understand and imagine what was going on in the mind of Ibn Batouta before leaving this city on his long journey and why he never returned to it after the end of his pilgrimage like the rest of the pilgrims. Why did he let himself lost like a bird carried by the wind, where did this man come with his distinction and uniqueness of this idea in that time? So I had to search carefully for the place where this beautiful human grew in and the cultures that influenced the idea and gave him this distinction to precede his time and establishes a new science and new lifestyle named “ Travelling”. I owe this person because of the path I have chosen in my life.
If we say that the human being is the product which was created by the place and time he lives in, however, it was necessary for me to understand the real Ibn Batouta, and it was something mandatory to go and look for all the places he lived in and try to perceive the time he witnessed. So I have to stop and watch how harmonious this melting pot of human being is living together peacefully. In addition to that, the only secret to living happily with others is to have the curiosity to understand them and most importantly respecting them the way they are and not the way you want them to be. That is the first rule for those who like to travel and take it as a lifestyle to enter the joy in your life and the lives of others. You can never imagine the sadness experienced by a person who travels to people whom he doesn’t like or want to be around. Imagine that you travel to a country with a different religion than you, different language, different cultures, if you think that all the habits that aren’t like yours are bad or that your language is the only great and unique thing and other languages are nonsense, or that your food is the only good thing on this earth and the others don’t understand the art of food.. If you are like this then I don’t advise you to travel to any other country but to stay at home instead, therefore it would be impossible for fanatics and hardliners to become travellers because they won’t be able to enjoy something they reject in advance and they won’t accept to live with people who judge them before getting to know them. In the past they used to say that you will never know someone until you live with him, this is the secret of travel founded by Ibn Batouta which is to be open and to accept the other.
All of this is considered as a message of peace to the other. A message of love and respect in the first place.These qualities don’t come up to a man unless he grew up in a society that accepts the other no matter what religion he owns and they all live in peace. In such society, Ibn Batouta grew up and was able to carry peace in his hand, traveling all over the world from east to west, and this is what we do after him, we follow his approach by being open to the other. That way the other will welcome you with hugs. If you accept the other like this, then you will be treated with love and respect and hospitality all the way, and you will always be welcomed. If you feel like your country is the only place you belong to you will find out that every place you visit becomes your home but that doesn’t mean that it becomes your identity, Ibn Battuta’s identity has remained the same ( Tangierian ) even if he lived in China and India. I will also stay Egyptian even if I live in Europe or Australia as the saying ‘ it won’t hurt the musk to take some of the jasmine smell’ the point is if you do good to your family you have to do it with other people as well, if the whole forest has all the same flowers it gets boring but if one flower is different than the other it becomes very beautiful. Variety is the secret of the beauty of this planet we live in; God has created different people and tribes not to disavow but to meet each other and to get to know one another. The knowledge that comes from two different sides is better than the one that comes from one side only, love and respect are everything.
These qualities don’t come up to a man unless he grew up in a society that accepts the other no matter what religion he owns and they all live in peace. In such society, Ibn Batouta grew up and was able to carry peace in his hand, traveling all over the world from east to west, and this is what we do after him, we follow his approach by being open to the other. That way the other will welcome you with hugs. If you accept the other like this, then you will be treated with love and respect and hospitality all the way, and you will always be welcomed. If you feel like your country is the only place you belong to you will find out that every place you visit becomes your home but that doesn’t mean that it becomes your identity, Ibn Battuta’s identity has remained the same ( Tangierian ) even if he lived in China and India. I will also stay Egyptian even if I live in Europe or Australia as the saying ‘ it won’t hurt the musk to take some of the jasmine smell’ the point is if you do good to your family you have to do it with other people as well, if the whole forest has all the same flowers it gets boring but if one flower is different than the other it becomes very beautiful. Variety is the secret of the beauty of this planet we live in; God has created different people and tribes not to disavow but to meet each other and to get to know one another. The knowledge that comes from two different sides is better than the one that comes from one side only, love and respect are everything.
In the past they used to say that you will never know someone until you live with him, this is the secret of travel founded by Ibn Batouta which is to be open and to accept the other. All of this is considered as a message of peace to the other. A message of love and respect in the first place. These qualities don’t come up to a man unless he grew up in a society that accepts the other no matter what religion he owns and they all live in peace. In such society, Ibn Batouta grew up and was able to carry peace in his hand, traveling all over the world from east to west, and this is what we do after him, we follow his approach by being open to the other. That way the other will welcome you with hugs. If you accept the other like this, then you will be treated with love and respect and hospitality all the way, and you will always be welcomed. If you feel like your country is the only place you belong to you will find out that every place you visit becomes your home but that doesn’t mean that it becomes your identity, Ibn Battuta’s identity has remained the same ( Tangierian ) even if he lived in China and India. I will also stay Egyptian even if I live in Europe or Australia as the saying ‘ it won’t hurt the musk to take some of the jasmine smell’ the point is if you do good to your family you have to do it with other people as well, if the whole forest has all the same flowers it gets boring but if one flower is different than the other it becomes very beautiful. Variety is the secret of the beauty of this planet we live in; God has created different people and tribes not to disavow but to meet each other and to get to know one another. The knowledge that comes from two different sides is better than the one that comes from one side only, love and respect are everything.
This is Tangier which was told to me by my Moroccan dear friend Younes, it is known by “Tangier Under God’s Protection, own ” and he gave me a picture of the old Tangier and how I hope that they will return this old name again , how beautiful is the name “ Tangier The City Under God’s Protection”
I still sit every morning so I can eat my Moroccan breakfast in the cafe which is in front of the port of the old Tangier… Every day in the same place in front of the cafe because I love to sit in the open air, the waiter came to me with a wide smile on his face saying: “Good Morning” using Egyptian way so he can show me his warm greetings, I replied to him: “Where did you bring this Egyptian accent from?” He said: “We are family. My daughter is married to an Egyptian man whom we love so much.” I replied: “Hello, and Welcome”. We have always loved Moroccans and we made a lot of good relationships with them since the past.” Right after this chitchat we had I ordered another cup of the Moroccan tea and came back to the hotel which is not far away from the cafe in order to relax a little before I continue to stroll around the old town while holding Ibn Battuta’s book which I bought from a small shop in the old city , I sat down next to my bed turning pages of the book and suddenly my eyes no longer see the words because my imagination has taken me to Sri Lanka when I decided to follow Ibn Battuta’s steps and do the same to become a free bird flying everywhere on earth nothing stops it, no countries borders no Barriers not afraid of different languages or race because inside of each one of us there are a heart that’s beating and feelings that get happy and sad. As we know that when you scream you hear the echo of your voice if your call is positive and full of happiness and peace you won’t find anything other than that.
You will go with me to Sri Lanka so I can visit one of Ibn Battuta’s many stations on his journey, I know that Ibn Batouta climbed a mountain in Sri Lanka and the people of that country respected that mountain to the point that they even take their shoes off in order to climb it and they call this mountain “Adam’s Peak.” As we know that Ibn Battuta’s trips written in many books and many languages around the world, so I was afraid to make a repetition I decided to try to shed the light on the hidden side and the psychological side in the life of this man.
Let’s try to experience what Ibn Batouta lived and experienced before me to get to know what he was searching for in Sri Lanka seven hundred years ago. I personally visited the same places Ibn Batouta visited before me so I can live the experience once again, Many questions has come to my mind especially Why Ibn Batouta chose this particular mountain? .. I knew then that this mountain is the only thing on earth to be blessed by the people of four different religion at one time, something strange how Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims climbs it and each one of them praises in a different way .. It is a wonderful example of respect for the other. As we said that respect is the key to everyone who loves to travel. Now let’s come together to learn about Sri Lanka’s island which the holy mountain is located in, Or as they call it “ The Mountain Of The Honourable Foot.” Some may ask me why do you focus on Sri Lanka’s island specifically while talking about The Tangierian Ibn Batouta?
To answer this question and to those who don’t know, The Island of Sri Lanka is the place to honour Ibn Batouta and they appreciated that man way before we knew him and they named so many cities and places after his name, they call him ” Bentota”, you only have to type online “Bentota City”, “Bentota Beach” or “Bentota River” and you will realize that the Tangierian Ibn Batouta has left his print there and it will never be deleted. Oh, how happy I felt when I was there and I heard someone saying that this is named after “Bentota “, this is “ Bentota City “…
I was proud of this man whose name is still present even in Sri Lanka, I was seeing and witnessing all this information which has not been heard by many… This is the mission of the traveler, to look for what is unknown and to make it known. Ibn Batouta is the Tangierian man who brought peace and love to the world and left the imprint of peace in every place he visited and chose to climb “Adams Peak” for the same reason that I have chosen, which is the place agreed upon by four different religions and climb it next to each other to send a message of humanity and peace to one another.
Perhaps we should know that the choice of Ibn Batouta wasn’t as random as some people may think, but behind each trip of his you will always find a clear explanation for its content “Peace on Earth according To Its Different Races and Languages.” The meaning behind it is that we can always communicate with affection and good words and the best way to win people’s hearts is to have a pure clean one first, If you can do that then you will see doors opening to you exactly like what happened to Ibn Batouta in Sri Lanka. It lead him to have some places under his name for example in the south-west of the island where Ibn Batouta lived, they named the whole city after his name “Bentota City”, and the river where he used to do wudu’ in is called “Bentota River” this shows the appreciation and respect they have for this man.
We know that Ibn Batouta was a scientist and his spiritual side had a major role in his life and this may be why he chose the island of Sri Lanka as it has a special spiritual and ideological position of different religions, some of them believe that it’s “ The Door To Paradise “ or it’s “ The Point Of Contact Between Heaven And Earth.” This is because of the saying that after Adam ate from the forbidden tree and was angry with his lord and expelled him from paradise he sent him down to live on earth they say that the first place his feet stepped on was on top of the mountain known by (Adam’s Peak) in Sri Lanka. They believe that it’s a blessed island; this island is 220 Kilometres long and 440 kilometers wide, its length is twice its width or half its length. Some researchers believe that these figures also have spiritual implications, And when I went there I had a task to be completed and information must be verified, Although this task can be accomplished in one day and one night but the consequences of pain remain from 3 to 4 days.
Many have said that Adams’ foot is marked at the top of this mountain and it’s on the side of a boat, Although this information is still a big doubt, some still believe it. I can’t imagine a man with a foot in the size of a Boat even if this man is Adam (Peace be upon him) my explanation of this is a very simple mathematical calculation, which is the length of a human foot who’s height is maximum of 2 meters is 30cm and hence the English unit of measurement came from called the foot , if the impact of that foot is on Adam’s mountain about the size of a boat ( approximately 3 meters ) it is then ten times the size of a normal foot , and to have that size according to the height of a person he must be if he has a 3 meter foot that means he’s ten times the height of a person which is about twenty meters equivalent to the height of a seven floors house .. And if his height was ten times a normal person’s height that means that he weighs about 1000 kg (one ton), thus it would ensure that other problems in maintaining the balance of a body that weighs 1ton on two legs. All these reasons made doubt the validity of the information which says that the impact on the top of the mountain is a foot in the size of a boat, my brain can’t accept this, therefore, it was necessary for me to examine and make sure if that is true or not. In order to not have any doubt I decided to climb that mountain so I can check for myself until I see with my own eyes that there is a footprint in the size of a boat or there is nothing… Since I already climbed a mountain that size I did not hesitate in the decision to do it and search for accurate information concerning that foot that Ibn Batouta talked about in his book and named it “The Honourable Foot.”
I believe that if there is a foot of this mountain the size of the foot must be close to the normal size. In the past we thought that the Pharaohs were people of long stature and huge bodies until we saw their mummified bodies preserved in museums and we saw that these exaggerations were not true and at the end we realized that they are human beings just like you and me, but us humans tend to exaggerate and amplify things until they take on character of myth because myth satisfy the desire of imagination.
Before I begin to describe the rise of this mountain, we refer to what was written by travellers who preceded me in this and took for example one of them is the Italian traveller his name is “Ludovico de Varthema” who went there in the sixteenth century and wrote in his report on this journey, saying: “One of the Arab merchants told us that there is a cave at the top of this high mountain. Our father Adam was sitting in this cave weeping for mercy and forgiveness from God for his disobedience, and man can see the effects of his foot and length almost in the length of two (Spanne) -an old measurement unit it is slightly less than the unit of measurement of light- “ This is What Ludvico said in the sixteenth century is the unit of measurement called Spanne. The distance between the tip of the thumb, the middle finger or the tip of the finger is the same as in the position where the fingers are separated from each other. This unit of measure is approximately 20 centimeters. According to Ludvico, the length of the foot is two meters this is about 40 centimeters, so this version is closer to the belief and closer to the reality of the novel that says “The Size of the Foot Is the Size of a Boat.”
Therefore I got all my power and encouragement to climb Adams peak which is 2243 meters high… It was strange that in 1782 a Frenchman wrote about it as the highest mountain in the continent of Asia. Until 1807 it was thought to be the highest mountain of Sri Lanka.
Ibn Batouta also wrote about him in the fifth chapter of the second part of his book, “This Mountain is one of the highest mountains in the world.” This is what has been said about that mountain at that time. But now, by means of modern geographical measurement, it became the fourth mountain on the island of Sri Lanka After the Arab sailors believed that it is the highest mountain in the world; Although this mountain is not Sri Lanka’s highest mountain but it is the most beautiful and lofty in prestige and in the form, it seems high and distinctive amid the mountains around him when you look at it from several Different angles and its beauty increases when sunrise hits it, The sun casts huge shadow in the valley next to it and the shadows that fill the valley moving with the movement of the sun .. Those shadows can be seen in the most beautiful images from the top of the mountain at sunrise in the absence of the atmosphere of thick fog, which obscures the vision sometimes… Because of these reasons This Mountain has gained greatness and awe.
This is in addition to the religious beliefs and spirituality that gain some kind of sanctity and blessing, especially the belief of some Muslims of the inhabitants of this country that Adam has descended from heaven to earth on this mountain.
But this is not limited to Muslims only. I have seen the Buddhists march to this mountain and sanctify it and become entangled with it. They must have another story that has to do with the Buddha other than that which speaks of Adam descending from Paradise.
In 250 BC, Buddhism was also spread on the island of Sri Lanka. The Buddhists believe that the Buddha visited Sri Lanka and ascended to this mountain and left a foot in the rock on the top of this mountain. Therefore, this mountain is also revered and respected by the Buddhists. But this also goes beyond other beliefs and religions. A group of Hindus also believe that this is the footprint of the Hindu god Shiva. Another group of Hindus believes that it is the foot of a god who has special protection of the mountains called Saman. As for Christians This Mountain is believed to be the footprint of the Indian saint Thomas who brought Christianity to Sri Lanka.
God only knows who is the impact of this foot? Is it Adam? Or is the Buddha? , Shiva? , Saman? Or is it Thomas? But the important thing is to make sure of the existence of this foot effect, which they talk about. The foot effect on the mountain of Adam in Sri Lanka, or like the residents of the country call it (Sri Pada) and it means (Generous Foot) or (Honourable Foot) that’s what Ibn Batouta named it in his book.
This discovery was discovered by King Valagama Bahu in the first century before the birth of Christ, This history weakens the possibility that this foot of St. Thomas because the impact existed even before the birth of Christ peace be upon him. If you read Ibn Battuta’s book you will know that in the fifth chapter Part 2 Batouta spoke at that time about the two ways of going up the mountain and when I was there I found two routes from the north side and it takes about four or five hours of continuous climb, the second road on the south side and takes about seven hours of hard climb until you feel as if your knees are breaking apart from each of the severity of the pain, Ibn Batouta spoke about this in his book known in English as “RIHLA” on page 195 of the second part of these two routes to climb the mountain in detail and spoke about the rock that’s carved at the beginning of the road and here I confirm the validity of this speech .. It is difficult for a man who did not climb a mountain in his life to imagine the size of this hard effort to climb this mountain, But When you go up to the summit and realize that the difficult task has ended but then you notice that going all the way down is harder than you have thought of, and especially that my feet are still very tired of the impact of the climb , In each step taken down the ramp feels painful and as if your muscle strain in the muscle of the abdomen of the man .. When you get down you feel very tired and you need to rest and sleep. After waking up from your sleep you discover that you cannot walk in a normal way, in fact, you have to walk with your legs separated because of the pain. As I walked down the street I saw a man walking with his legs apart from each other and swaying right and left to keep his balance. I knew that he was one of those who climbed to Adam’s peak. This painful and difficult situation muscle strain lasts between three days to one week, But they believe that the greater the hardship in climbing the mountain, the more reward will be for this blessed journey. This confirms that Ibn Batouta was very physically fit or else he couldn’t be able to climb this mountain.
I decided to climb the mountain from the short and easy road … It is not short but shorter than the other road and it’s not easy but easier than the other way, even if this road, according to their belief his cloth and his blessing is less than the other way, But I am a temperate man in my life and this amount of reward is enough for me at this time.
I started climbing at 10 pm, like the rest of the visitors who often climb the mountain at night to avoid the heat of the hot sun during the day. We are just seven degrees from the equator. At every step I remember that Ibn Batouta took these steps before me seven hundred years ago .. How proud I get to walk in the footsteps of this great traveller .. I used God almighty in my first step and I said: ”Oh God, I do not know that the impact on the top of the mountain, is it Adam’s foot or the foot of the Buddha, but I feel safe and quiet with Myself “.
I was a bit older than 40 years old when I climbed that mountain, I took off my shoes as a sign of respect, and started my walk barefoot the same as Ibn Batouta did in 1344 (GY) , when he climbed the same mountain at the age of 40. He was born on the 25th of February,1304 in Tangier which is located in the North of Morocco.
One of the most important things which attracted Ibn Battuta’s attention is the beautiful flowers spread all over the Alp mountains which are known by the ALPENROSE or the RHODODENDRON, it grows here also. God bless Ibn Batouta, he had a strong vision to notice all the type of flowers on Adams peak, he used to pay attention a lot to details he even wrote a book about worms ( leeches) , that sucks blood and how the wound continues to bleed after that, he also explained in his book how to get rid of leeches if it got stuck in humans body and that was through adding some lemon drops on leeches in order for it to leave. How intelligent is this man? To clarify what Ibn Batouta has said , I confirm that I know worms ( leaches ) from my previous trips, I have seen many of them in the woods, also what is known is that kind of worms has ‘Hirudin’ in its mouth that helps the blood and the worms leave it in the wound after its bite which helps to make the blood easier to absorb. That’s why the wound continues to bleed for a long time even after the worm leave, people who go to such areas you always find a cigarette or two in their pack, not for the purpose of smoking but because cigarettes contain tobacco in them and that helps, they can press tobacco strongly around the wound that was because of the leech bite and leave it for some time, it will help it to make it stop bleeding. Tobacco also keeps the wound dry and sterilized in this case; this is one of those useful experiences exchanged by travelers.
The journey of climbing Adams peak begins with a step after step, I put my trust in god and I said: «oh god if there is a blessing in this place put your blessing in me, and if not then I count my steps asking for your knowledge. »
I began to climb the mountain and set myself among the delegations of visitors of different religions and sects that follow in different groups and each one of them is seeking their own songs with different hymns from one another in their own way they’re all walking with peace with no arguments, a wonderful rare moment of peace between human and religions that’ll make your body shivers of happiness.
In this special place, different religions and beliefs agree to reference the same exact place without any conflicts or fights and without anyone of them trying to keep it for him, each one has his own religion and i have mine as well. Then out of nowhere came some Buddhist monks in their yellow clothes and right after them a bunch of Hindus with their long straight hair , also some Muslims, Christians and tourists each one of them is having his own faith. You can also see some tough men carrying many patients on their shoulders while climbing the mountain hoping to get healed and blessed.
I started to sweat even though it was after midnight so I had to take a small break and then continue to climb. The last third of the road was very steep and difficult to climb, even if I was in a very good shape, I met a woman who was 50 years old she was sick and very fat she weighed more than 100 kilograms. The sweat was running down her forehead to her clothes. She struggled with her last physical strength to climb this mountain hoping for her to heal from her illness, I asked her «How many hours did it take you to climb this mountain? » she said: «Eleven Hours of fatigue and extreme sweat. » I respected the power of this lady that’s missing in our youth at the age of 20.
I reached a height of more than two thousand meters and I had only hundreds of meters left to reach the top, but the slope of the road was severe, which makes every step full of fatigue and pain. I did not sleep all night and the time is almost four in the morning and I still haven’t reached the top of the mountain so I imagined that this road has no end. It is the path that Ibn Battuta took before me… I am going on the right way.
I found on the side of the road a small cave with a small hut made of straw and in the inside there was a man making tea, I went to him looking for warmth next to the burning fire because it was very cold in this high place .. And here I am in the tea island and in the country of tea, I drank a cup of Hot Ceylon Tea Then I chose one of the corners close to the burning fire and decided to sleep for one hour, I was keen not to miss the moment of sunrise on top so I could see the shadows made by the mountain in the valley. This cave where I drank Tea is the one that Ibn Batouta spoke about in his book ( RIHLA ) in page 195 of the second part, which he called “The Adventure of the Greens”. He stayed there for three days and I slept in it for one hour. This place provides protection from the strong wind at the top of the mountain. It was just a few minutes before the summit and Ibn Batouta has already described accurately this cave and I am an eyewitness of it.
At 5 am I continued to climb again. Finally, After a hardship and trouble, I have reached the top of the Adam’s Peak, I hastened to look for the footprints of Adam. I found a building of brick and stone it has a roof and the interior of it was a flat block of modern cement and not an old one that’s supposed to be made of stone or rock, it was printed on the impact “ about 160centimeters” .. When I asked where Is the effect of the real foot and printed in the stone? They said that under this cement is the size of the natural foot and this effect printed on cement is only a magnifying image of the real impact and the idea of magnification so that all visitors can see this image to avoid congestion. They made this cement cover in order to protect the real print under it from fading, I think that is why some of those who have seen this painting printed in modern-made cement have thought that this is the ancient effect of Adam’s foot. As for the novel that says that the foot is The size of the boat, that is not true, And of course, there is the black stone that Ibn Batouta said in his book, saying: “ A high Black rock in a spacious place and has drowned the precious foot in the rock.” This is a picture of me next to the black rock whom Ibn Battuta spoke about.
(On top of Adam’s Peak, the black rock which is said it has Adam’s footprint is in the background of the picture.)
Still remained to continue my research to make sure the presence of (the Cave of Adam) who was spoken about by the Italian traveller (Ludviko), in which he says that our father Adam, peace be upon him was sitting in it and crying asking for forgiveness from his Lord .. While the weather was very cold and there was only one place on the summit where he can cover up from the cold, I found most visitors going to this place covering from the cold wind so I went with them, and I got to the underground and sat on the ground in this safe place and combine my knees to my chest in order to warm. That place where I sat in was (Adam’s cave) Therefore, the foot effect is in a natural size and that the presence of the cave is correct, But did Adam really come down on top of this mountain? Or sat down and wept in this cave, as they say? This remains in the science of God’s Power, he knows what we don’t know.
This was one stop of many Ibn Battuta’s steps which I followed myself in order to be a witness to what this man has given to mankind, and how this man founded the nomadic concepts to turn it into a lifestyle and not only the way for hiking and recreation but he made it full with pleasure of gathering knowledge and spreading it. It is a delight to bear the hardships to look for science and then offer it to others to benefit humanity. This is traveling and this is the Tangerian Ibn Batouta.
While I was having a flashback about my memories in Adam’s peak suddenly the telephone bell started ringing and my Moroccan philosopher friend asked me about my program today I told him I would go to” Paris cafe” we agreed to meet in the evening at the Cultural Cafe “Moments of Tangier” to share the interesting conversation with our friend Younes Sheikh Ali who is the cafe owner as we listen to the songs of Mohamed Abdel Wahab, he reminds me of my beloved country Egypt. I looked around and found myself still sitting on the edge of the bed in the room and from the window I saw the old train station in Tangier and found me still holding Ibn Battuta’s book in my hand so I decided to take a look back at what he said about Sri Lanka, I found that he Has spoken about The many elephants that they adorn with precious stones and put beads on its forehead and talk about the existence of gemstones in Sri Lanka and all this is true and I saw it there and it still exists to this day .. I found his words identical to reality and so I consider myself an eyewitness to the writing of Ibn Batouta, all of this is only one of his trips, Imagine if I spoke about all of them!
While I was thinking, I remembered that I will go to the port today to eat the fried fish, known as Futura, along with the al-Bayzari dish, which reminds us of the Egyptian (Bissara) that was made by my mother, may God have mercy on her. I hurried to get a sumptuous meal of fish, Aljmpeh) means shrimp and from there directly to the big square in front of the main door of the old city where it has the juices shops to drink two cups consecutive of a wonderful drink known as (Avoca) and this label is known only by Moroccans where they make a wonderful drink of (avocado), milk and some sugar, this was my food ceremony, in Tangier, the food must be a cup of avocados. If I’m in a good mood, I take a drink called ( ZAAZAA) , which is like avocado, but with all the desserts of fruits, almonds, and walnuts, after it, I feel that my weight has increased, but it’s okay. You will never give up on avocados and ‘zaazaa’. After this heavy meal, I have to sleep a bit in order to be ready for meeting my friends in the evening
As usual, we gathered on the upper floor of the cultural cafe (moments of Tangier) where the light breaks down on the blue walls to form a wonderful painting in front of the eye and in the background you can hear Arabic music and the sound of Sabah Fakhri screams and exclaims (Say to the black donkey .. What did you do with a worshiped monk) and my philosopher friend Mustafa Shakdaly is whispering saying: “I think it’s going to be a good start for your new book to begin here in Tangier… A book in which the Egyptian Ibn Batouta describes how the convergence in the country of the Tangerian Ibn Batouta and how can those thoughts meet up and for this book to not only be a connection link between the son of the Egyptian Batouta and the Tangerian Ibn Batouta But we hope that this book will be a link of love between Egyptian and Moroccan people and be a new stone in the wall of love and brotherhood between the two peoples.” said by my friend the philosopher.. And here in this article, I’m writing the first words of the new book and a lot of love and gratitude to the beautiful Moroccan people who gave me the best hospitality and a lot of love and gratitude to the great traveler the Tangerian Ibn Batouta … And I’m still going on the way.
Ibn Battuta al-Masri (the traveler Ahmed Elshahawy)