Delhi Summary and Analysis

Dunn opens the ninth chapter with a description of the checkered history of North India prior to the point of Ibn Battuta's arrival. Traditionally Hindu in religion, Turkish Muslim warriors began invading the region in the 11th century, capturing Delhi and setting up a Muslim state in 1193 under Qutb al-Din Aybek. Succeeding sultans expanded their influence farther south into the Indian subcontinent, Dunn explains, but the greater need for strength was to the north, where they successfully held off Mongol invaders. This made Delhi a prestigious capital of the Muslim world, Dunn writes, and a popular destination for Islamic scholars from all over the world, who were welcomed openly by the sultans and given lucrative official positions.

The Sultan of Delhi at the time of Ibn Battuta's arrival at the Indus River is Muhammad Tughluq, a somewhat eccentric ruler with brilliant...