Omar Rais reviews Edoardo Albert's new book on the great 14th century traveller, Ibn Battuta, focusing on aspects of his journey such as culture shock and loneliness, that even the modern traveller can relate to.
Listen to the audio version of this article featuring audio extracts of...
Over the course of my life, whenever I visited Pakistan, it was...
Upon entering the maqam of Sunan Gunung Jati in Cirebon, one dives...
In Methala, Kodungallur, in the Indian state of Kerala, stands a small, unassuming...
As soon as I stepped out of the taxi I knew I...
“Look! It’s Dino Merlin,” whispers the man beside me. A well groomed white...
Ali Abbas Ahmadi visits the Paigah Tombs of Hyderabad After offering his...
Each year in Rabi al-Awwal, the small island of Lamu plays host...
The erudite spiritual master and saint Ibn Ata’illah, may God have mercy...
Ibn Battuta (d.1369) the renowned Moroccan qadhi, or judge of Islamic law,...
Zara Choudhary on visiting the Companions (Sahaba) of Jordan Memory is a...
Asha Ahmad crouches around a symbolic green tomb of Ali Hamdon, one...
“The thesis that men change at the same time that they change...
For centuries, the dargah (zawiya/tomb) of Moinuddin Chishti, otherwise known as Hazrat Khwaja...
Those who have followed Sacred Footsteps for some time will know that...
Sidi Bou Said: Tunisia’s Trendy Coffee Town & its Hidden Sufi Connection...
The Prophet ﷺ once sent forth a man to meet with an...
Travelling in our day and age is easier than it has ever...
Mohammed Khan on visiting Imam Jazuli and the 7 Saints of Marrakesh...
Abu Ayyub on Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi, the Patron saint of Istanbul The...
With Hajj just around the corner, I compiled a list of things...
Heraa Hashmi on road-tripping through Morocco It began as a casual notion,...
In a little known corner of an Indian metropolis lies a thriving...
In this episode, Zara Choudhary revisits her journey to Adam’s Peak, a mountain in Sri Lanka visited by Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians for its association with several religious figures, including the Prophet Adam.
In the last few years, the number of Muslims visiting Jerusalem and...
Our last stop on our trip to Kenya lay just off its...
A journey through the Mauritanian wilderness to visit Murabit al-Hajj Night was...
In episode three, Zara talks to Mustafa Briggs about the history of Islam in West Africa. They discuss the roots of Islam in the region, the intellectual achievements of Timbuktu and other centres of learning, sufism and the empowerment of women through scholarship that can be seen throughout West African history. Mustafa also tells us about his upcoming lecture series 'Beyond Bilal'.
An audio version of this article, complete with sound from the actual...
This post deals with one of the questions we get asked most often: ...
Traveller’s dua (supplication) asking Allah for goodness, ease and safety on their...
Walking through the heart of the old city, one may find its...
On the hills in and around Cape Town, you will find 300 year old Muslim graves belonging to notable individuals who arrived on the southern tip of the African continent in chains, as slaves or political prisoners of colonisers. They brought nothing with them, except faith in their hearts and the remembrance of God on their tongues.
“O Mosque of Cordoba! For thy existence and thy glory thou art...
Alex Reynolds from Lost With Purpose shares her experiences/conclusions/insights from more than four years of full time travel.
In episode five, Zara speaks to Wafa Aouchiche, founder of Burgundy Roots, about their retreats in Jamaica. We talk about the Jamaican Muslim community and the ‘Ras-Mus’ (Rasta-Muslims), and the connections between the Caribbean & Algerian revolutionaries.
Bilal Hassan travels to Gwadar, Pakistan To say that Gwadar’s location is idyllic would...
Friday prayers were about to begin; our taxi driver sped through the...
In the remote village of Kiselchovo, tucked away in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains,...
Listen to the audio version of this article: Podcast Ep 31 KHAYAL...
Muhammad Ayaz Ramjaun visits the sufi saints of Mauritius White sand beaches...
On the hills in and around Cape Town you will find dozens...
In the centre of Cairo lies a city within a city. With its thousand year old walls, Islamic or Medieval Cairo, once the seat of power in the region, consists of the oldest parts of the city established under the Fatimids. Among these historic streets, beginning at Bab al-Futuh in the north stretching down to Bab Zuweila in the south, is a 10th century road that boasts the highest concentration of medieval architecture in the Islamic world.
For our first ever crossover episode, Zara speaks to Imran Ali Malik, host of the American Submitter podcast. They discuss the concept of travel as a 'mutual unveiling' and share 'transformative' travel experiences. Imran talks about his time in Guinea Bissau, where tribes were converting to Islam after an elder dreamt of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), and tells us about the Wali Songo, the 'Nine Saints' of Indonesia.
Recently in Pakistan, increasing value is being placed on tourism as a means for economic growth. The new government has committed to promoting Pakistan as a tourist destination, and in March 2019, rolled out a new visa policy to grant e-visas to citizens of 175 countries. Earlier this month, the Pakistan Tourist Summit was held, which brought together various stakeholders in the tourism industry, including government representatives, Prime Minister Imran Khan, members of the media, corporate and investment sectors, and local and international experts on tourism.
A walk through the old sections of Istanbul and one will inevitably...
The road unfolded before us like a ribbon, guiding our car through...
As soon as we started seeing the signs for Mostar on the...
In episode six, Zara talks to Muazzam Mir about the history of Islam in East Africa. They talk about the history of Muslims in the region, which goes back to the time of the Prophet (saw) himself. Muazzam explains how Islam spread, beginning with the Swahili coast, and the role of traders, travellers, and sufi tariqahs in the process.
The duo behind Blue Cairo share their essential map for exploring Islamic...
The Muslim Traveller’s Guide to Japan. For Muslims visiting Japan, and those interested...
Al-Hujeireh mosque sits quietly, nestled among its neighbours, seeking little attention. Walk...
With Ertuğrul-fever (still) running high, Humza Sheikh shows us how to visit the...
At the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, in Spain's Andalusia province, sits the historic city of Granada. For almost 250 years, between 1238 and 1492, the city, then part of the Nasrid Kingdom, stood as the last remaining Muslim stronghold in the peninsula. Under the Nasrids, it became a hub for economic prosperity, cultural influence and intellectual development.
There it stood, where I least expected it. Perhaps not the most...
One of the peculiar sensations seasoned wayfarers fail to mention, as you...
It was a blistering hot day right in the middle of the...
The cultural fabric of Kochi has been elegantly woven by the beauty...
