400 headwords 4247726 Ibn Battuta fp indd 1

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footprint the 
hole that 
someone’s foot 
makes in soft 
ground when
they walk
ruby (plural 
rubies) an 
expensive red 
stone
So I had new work to do. I was the judge on Male. At 
first, everything went well. I took a wife from an important 
family, and I did my usual work. But I soon began to have 
enemies. I was a rich man and people didn’t like that. So 
they said bad things about me. 
After nine months, it was time to sail away. My wife 
wasn’t a good sea traveller. So I left her behind on the 
island. You sometimes need to leave a place quickly, 
Ahmed – before things go badly wrong!
I left for China, but first I sailed to the island of Serendib. 
When we were nine days away from it, we could see its 
famous mountain – Adam’s Mountain – across the sea. 
Many people make the pilgrimage to this holy mountain 
because on it you can see a footprint of Adam – the first 
man in our world.
I stayed with the Sultan of Serendib for three days. He 
loved listening to my traveller’s stories, and he gave me 
pearls and big rubies. Serendib is famous for its rubies,
you see. The women there wear them all over their arms 
and legs.
The Sultan told me all about Adam’s Mountain, There 
are two ways to walk up to Adam’s footprint, an easy way 
and a dangerous way. You’re a true pilgrim only when you 
go the dangerous way, so of course I went up that way! 
It was a long journey over big rocks and between dark 
trees. But we arrived in the end at Adam’s footprint. It 
was wonderful there. You’re up in the sky, and you can see 
things very far away.
After that I left Serendib by ship for India. I was a happy 
man with lots of pearls and rubies in my bag! But soon 
things went wrong. One day, sudden winds took our ship 
4247726 Ibn Battuta FP.indd 23
7/7/10 15:21:30