Near the beginning of his travels, Ibn Battutah comes to the modern-day city of Cairo, which he refers to as Misr. Ibn Battutah focuses on the cultural and political aspects of Cairo as opposed to the geographic and natural physical characteristics. The only natural phenomenon that Ibn Battutah talks at length about is the Nile River. Ibn Battutah describes how he uses the Nile to travel both to and from Cairo. He claims that the Nile is one of the world’s most important rivers, comparing it to the Euphrates and the Tigris. He notes that the Nile is extraordinary because it flows south to north unlike any other river. Ibn Battutah emphasizes how the Nile is essential to life in Cairo and how Cairo is located where it is because of the Nile. Ibn Battutah comments that Cairo’s location of the Nile helps Cairo in its agricultural pursuits, trade, and travel. The Nile is a major thoroughfare in Egypt, with goods traveling up and down the river. The allowed easy travel to and from Cairo, and also made Cairo a stopping point in trade that was going out into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile was also good for agriculture around Cairo, helping to support its population and furthering trade. Ibn Battutah notes that Cairo is the place “of broad provinces and fruitful lands.”

Instead of focusing on geographic landmarks, Ibn Battutah is more concerned with the culture and people that live in Cairo. Ibn Battutah describes Cairo as being an incredibly cosmopolitan city, with many different types of people. Ibn Battutah says the population varies greatly, with some being incredibly wealthy and others destitute and poor. He goes into detail about the more important people that live in Cairo such the Sultan of Egypt and the amirs of Cairo. Ibn Battutah comments on the nobility and generosity of these different characters, how they were very wealthy and religiously virtuous. I think that Ibn Battutah includes these details because they are people, he would need to endear himself to those people and treat them with respect, especially if they were going to read his work or hear about.

Beyond people, Ibn Battutah also describes many buildings and cultural landmarks. Many of these were religious in nature like famous mosques, madrasahs, and convents. He notes how these buildings are all beautiful. He also describes their location in detail and the types of people that live there. Ibn Battutah relates how the people in convents lived such as their daily routines and how they practiced Sufism and were Persian. Ibn Battutah notes the great cultural landmarks around Cairo like the pyramids and berbas. There are also other more significant religious sites that Ibn Battutah encounters like the al-Qarafah cemetery, the mausoleum, and the shrine of Husain. I think Ibn Battutah intentionally focuses on religious sites and monuments because religion is important to his own personal identity. Ibn Battutah is a Muslim and constantly references God and the Quran. Clearly, religious matters are important to him so it makes sense that he would pay special attention to religious places and the behaviors of religious people.