Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of Islam's Greatest Traveler

Tim Mackintosh-Smith's entertaining and informative travelogue recounts his attempt to duplicate the first part of the travels of the great Islamic traveller Ibn Batutta. He starts in Morocco, travels across North Africa to Egypt, then to the Middle East in modern Saudi Arabia and Jordan. He then travel to the coast of the Persian Gulf to modern Oman, and finally back up through Turkey and onto the Crimea peninsula. Overall, I found this to be a very informative read, but not easy and not that entertaining. You'll learn a tremendous amount about the diversity of the people who inhabit the Islamic world: their cultures, their religion, their cuisine. Each region has a tremendous amount of local history, and to sweep this all under the rug as 'Islamic' history is a tremendous disservice. TMS's book will, if nothing else, demonstrate the enormous diversity in the Islamic world - this alone is worth the price of admission for someone like me who has never visited Egypt, Jordan, etc. TMS also meets many friendly and not so friendly people along the way that spice up his travels. However, this book is a tough slog - it is almost too clever for its own good. One can only read about so many Islamic saints and shrines, after a while they all start to blend together. There is so much minutiae in this book that sometimes TMS looses the larger picture for the trees in the forest. He certainly didn't encourage me to repeat this journey, and there is no way that this can be considered an easy read - it definitely took discipline on my part to finish the book. The few times that TMS tries to inject humor into the tale of his travels, it is always in the form of body function humor - a bit scatological for an otherwise clever travelogue. The bottom line is that there is a lot to like about this journey, but it is too wordy and eclectic for its own good, and I'd be wary about recommending it to anyone. I think the glowing 5 star reviews overrate this somewhat, and you should think carefully before taking the plunge.

The author has a great sense of humor and is a wonderful story teller. I think you would appreciate the book better if you have a background in Arabic and some knowledge of the Arab world. I truly enjoyed this book and plan on reading it again.

Unless you have a fair amount of knowledge of the Middle East and perhaps have traveled there and maybe understand some Arabic, I think you might be disappointed in this book. It's a bit like listening to a series of 'in jokes.'In the book, the author follows the path of Ibn Battutah (IB), a 14th century peripatetic jurist from Tangier (hence a Tangerine), through parts of North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and the Crimea looking for remnants of IB's time. Mackintosh-Smith(M-S) has an odd sense of humor and seems to be always alert for aphrodisiacs, scatalogical references (or scat), and unusual sexual practices (usually having nothing to do with references to IB). One or two such references, okay, but he seems to have an obsession. Also, IB had an intense interest in Muslim Sufis and ascetics so he ends up visiting or trying to visit sites that are best of tertiary interest or which have been abandoned to decay today.On the other hand, M-S seems to have a deep knowledge of Arabic literature, history and culture and is good at sussing out connections. I'm not much of a poetry fan, but he is very good at relating an appropriate piece of Arabic or Western poetry to a place or situation at hand.

Interesting description of the life Ibn Battutah, a 14th C Berber/Arab traveler whose journeys took him throughout the Muslim world with side trips to Crimea and Constantinople. Equally interesting are the comments of the author, a long-time resident San'a and whose recently published work "Arabs" is a comprehensive study of the peoples of Arabia as revealed in their language. Adds (both books) greatly to my understanding of this part of the world.

Wonderfully written adventure, chocked full of erudite assessments and delicate moments of brilliant insight. A sensitive portrait of Ibn Battuta the man and sweeping look at Arabic the language. Thanks Tim!

A nice book to settle in with, if you have time to think about it's contents.

This book had been sitting on my 'to read' shelf for a couple of years: I didn't think it would be particularly interesting.When I determinedly sat down to read it, I realised what I'd been missing as this is travel writing at its absolutely superb best. In it the author - an Arabist and longterm Yemeni resident - seeks to follow the travels of 14th century Moroccan traveller Ibn Battutah, a man who over twenty-nine years visited "over forty countries on the modern map, travelling some 75,000 miles by horse, mule, camel, ox-wagon, junk, dhow, raft and on foot."With Battutah's 'Travels' ever in hand, the author re-discovers shrines, mosques and churches and finds similarities - and vast differences - in the lifestyle of the people he meets on the way.This, the first volume, covers Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Oman, Turkey and the Crimea.Mr Mackintosh-Smith writes wonderful descriptions, both witty and intelligent; he peppers his work with tales taken from Battutah and elsewhere; he draws us in to his one-man archaeological efforts as he seeks to identify places mentioned in the work. And the reader experiences a thrill as he conclusively identifies a location where Battutah himself would have stood so long ago.This is a wonderful read and I hope to go on and read the other two volumes.

An Excellent introduction to the great man

This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. Not just in terms of the fact that its very well written. It is funny, I had to put it down in the metro as people were starring at me as I was laughing so much, it's informative and it really does carry you along on the authors journey.It has rekindled a desire to explore the arabic world described at the start of IBs journey as well.A brilliant book, buy it!!

It is a very interesting and amusing. I wish somebody would translate it to Arabic. Tim Mackintosh very observent and understanding.

Although I haven't had chance to read this book yet, my nephew has it and loves it. He rates it as a superb read. I look forward to having my book back!

Mackintosh Smith is a writer for travellers or those with a lust for travel. Erudite, clever, funny, intuitive yet occasionally as gullible as the rest of us, he is perfect company, chatting g with strangers, seeking unlikely remains and memorials, switching effortlessly between the medieval travels of IB and his own 're-treading' of those paths. His knowledge of Arabic and texts is intimidating - but enlightening, and add to the reader's understanding of context and the skills and values of the time. IN was a remarkable man, a true traveller, whose enthusiasm for his journeys and those he meets, the adventures of his time are brilliantly portrayed by the author's enthusiasm and talent in describing his own imitative travels. Loved it!