Search engine Google has celebrated the birth of one of the most famous travellers and scholars in history Ibn Battuta (1304 – 1368) today with a new Google Doodle on its homepage in Arab countries. The doodle recreates the journey he undertook seven centuries ago across many predominantly Muslim countries. Different versions of the Google logo are called doodles, and mark different people, events and dates.

Known as 'the prince of travellers,' his journeys spanned three decades, travelling from the far west of Africa to the far east of Asia. Ibn Battuta started his journey from Tangier, Morocco in June 1325 intending to head to Mecca for pilgrimage while he was 21, yet the journey, which was supposed to take only months, took 27 years.

Ibn Battuta visited most of the countries of the Muslim world at that time including Egypt, Iraq, Persia, Indian and Central Asia. He travelled more than 75,000 miles and recorded most of his journeys after he got back to Morocco where he died, in a book called Al-Rihla (The Journey).

Ibn Battutta was literate in three languages, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, helping him to communicate with the people of the countries he visited, including with kings and princes.

The book, Al-Rihla, is characterised by lively descriptions of what he saw in the different countries he visited, covering also the religions and traditions of these places. Subtitled A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, the book has been translated into several European languages.