<<and we always ask Battuta instead of
Khaldun--why?>>
Actually I've heard both, and think both should be
asked...but Ibn Battuta gets excerpted in textbooks and in at
least two companies' "supplementary exercises" that go
along with high school history books. Ibn Khaldun is
famous, but probably of scholarly interest only for his
theory of history. Ibn Battuta's geographical
descriptions represent the best evidence we have for the daily
life of many societies.
Brian