ELIZABETHAN TRAVELERS

Elizabethan travelers were named after Queen Elizabeth I of England.  Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in England in 1558 A.D. at the age of 25 and ruled until her death in 1603 A.D.

Elizabeth’s reign was also referred to as England’s Golden age or Elizabethan England, an era of peace and prosperity. During her reign, the people of England experienced economic prosperity and all round development.

Her government promoted travel and encouraged the people of her reign to travel from one place to another in pursuit of knowledge and experience by partly subsidizing it. Diplomats, students and research scholars of that time were given fellowships to travel for study, research and experience. Thus, a large number of individuals in England showed their interest in travelling abroad.

Meanwhile, churches across Europe organized religious travels. Journeys to the Holy Land in Israel were prominent among the travels during that era. Pilgrims were guided by the church to practice different codes of conduct for taking food and shelter.

THE HIPPIE TRAIL OF 20TH CENTURY

“HIPPIES” is the popular term used for low-budget tourists and backpackers who preferred to travel on land from one place to another place. The Hippie trail (also the overland) is the journey taken by hippies during the 20^th century (especially in 1960s and 1970s) that typically involving cheap travel. Hippies use local transportation; eat local food and talk about cultural imperialism. They usually avoid visiting most of the tourist destinations which they cannot afford to visit.

The origin of hippie trails probably lies with the overland expeditions of the mid-1950, when small groups of some wealthy people or the sponsored students would travel east from England by Land Rover or Bedford Dormobile (a 1950s popular camping vehicle known as motor caravan or motor home) for mountain climbing and to carry out scientific studies and surveys.

During 1960s and 1970s, hippies used to travel from Europe on the land route, entering Asia at Istanbul (Constantinople) and passing through Turkey, Iran and Pakistan to reach India.  The total distance from Istanbul to India was about 7000-8000 kilometers and it took 11 or 12 days of non-stop travel.

IBN BATTUTA: A great traveler of 14th centurty AD

Ibn Battuta or Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta was a Muslim Scholar and traveler of 14^th century from Morocco. He was born in February, 1304 AD (703 Hijri), in Tangier, Morocco. He was commonly known as Shams ad Din. He belonged to the family of Berber origin that was highly respected, religious, educated as theologian and had a tradition of service as judges. He received education in Islamic law and then he chose to travel to different places. He is considered as one of the greatest travelers of all time, and is known for the accounts of his travels and excursions.

Initially, Ibn Battuta left his native city Tanjier for performing Hajj (pilgrimage to holy place Mecca) in 1326 AD (725 Hijri), when he was twenty one years of age. He continued his journey for at least thirty years. His journeys were mostly by land. Ibn Battuta began his journey riding solo on a donkey and then linked up with a pilgrim caravan. He usually chose to join a caravan to reduce the risk of being attacked. During his travels, he survived wars, shipwrecks and rebellions.

He explored the lands of the North Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and South East Asia. He first traveled through Algiers, Tunis and Cairo, Egypt in North Africa. In Egypt, Ibn Battuta studied Islamic law and toured Alexandria and metropolis of Cairo, which he called “peerless in beauty and splendor”. Then he went through Palestine and Syria in the Middle East to reach Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula. After visiting Mecca, he visited Iraq, Persia, Azerbaijan, Shiraz in Iran, and Mesopotamia and went back to Mecca to perform Hajj.

He stayed in Mecca for three years and then traveled to the port city of Jeddah from which he went to Yemen by Red Sea. He visited Kenya (then Mombasa) in Eastern Africa. After that he proceeded to Oman, Hormuz, Siraf and Yamama and then returned to Mecca to perform another Hajj in the year 1332 AD.

After performing his second Hajj, Ibn Battuta revisited Egypt, Palestine and Syria. Then traveled across Anatolia and visited Sinope (city situated on the northern edge of the Turkish side of Black Sea coast). After crossing the Black Sea by ship, he journeyed through southern Ukarine to reach Constantinople, Razavi and Afghanistan. After getting into Afghanistan, Ibn Battuta went through Ghani and Kabul and then finally reached India’s northern border. He visited the places of Karachi, Sukkur, Multan, Sirsa, Hansi and Delhi in 1332. 

In India, Ibn Battuta was greeted open heartedly by the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad bin Tughluq (the founder of Tughluq Dynasty). There he was appointed to the position of a Judge. He stayed in India for a period of eight years and then left for China. To reach China, Ibn Battuta travelled through Central India to Cambay in Gujrat and then reached Goa by ship and then he visited Malabar Coast, Maldive Islands and reached the Island Celon (Sri Lanka). After that he travelled through Ma’abar, Kamrup, Sylhet, Sonargaon, Sumatra, Malaya and Cambodia and finally landed in Canton also known as Guangzhou (a city located on the Pearl River in southern China).

After his visit to China, Ibn Battuta returned to India and reached Calicut (Kozhikode) in Kerela. Athen he sailed to Muscat in Oman and passed through places such as Iran, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and then reached Mecca again to perform yet another Hajj in 1348 AD.After that, Ibn Battuta left for another adventure in 1352 AD. He then went south, crossed the Sahara desert, and visited the African kingdom of Mali.

His travel book entitled “Tuhfat al anzar fi gharaaib al amsar wa ajaaib al asfar” (A gift to those who contemplate the wonders of cities and the marvels of travelling) is commonly referred to as “Ibn Battuta’s Rihla” (Rihla means Journey) or “Travels of Ibn Battuta”. The Rihla provides an important account of many areas of the world in the 14^th century.

                                                                 Ibn Battuta's Rihla

When Ibn Battuta finally returned homeland Tangier in Morocco in 1335 AD, he was commissioned by Abu Inan Faris, the Sultan of Morocco to produce an account of his travels. He settled in Fez and dictated his story to the poet Ibn Juzayy al- Kalbi at the court of Sultan Abu Inan.  After the completion of his Rihla in 1355 AD, Ibn Battuta was appointed as a judge in Morocco and died in 1368. He died in 1369 AD in city of Fez (Morocco) at the age of 64-65.

ANCIENT MODES OF LAND TRANSPORT

People have always been trying to get better and easiest way of travelling from one place to another. Since the invention of wheel, the modes transportation has continuously been improved.

In ancient times, the important modes of transportation were animals like camels, elephants, horses and donkeys. Animals were used to transport goods and materials from one place to another. Palanquins were widely used in rural areas.

Initially, for long distance travel, traders largely used camel and donkeys for transportation. The camel was an important medium of transport for trade and commerce on the Silk Route during the ancient period.

After the invention of wheel by Sumerians in about 3500 BC the other means of transportation were developed. This invention helped to build heavy wagons that could be pulled by oxen, ponies or horses. Bulls and buffaloes were used for pulling carts. Bullock carts, pulled by buffaloes and bullocks are still used as the means of transportation of goods and people in several rural areas. 

The horse-drawn carriage was one of the chief modes of transport of the aristocracy. Donkeys were also used to carry goods to market and also to help washer men and sweepers in their work.

The use of wheeled vehicles encouraged the construction of roads to make mobility of vehicles easier. Mesopotamians are believed to have constructed the first road for royal chariots. However, the first major road system was established by the Roman Empire from 300 BC and onwards.

MARCO POLO

Marco Polo, an Italian merchant was probably the first explorer and travel writer to write an exhaustive travel account. Born in the year 1254 in Venice (Italy), Marco Polo travelled from Europe to Asia in 1271-95. He travelled to China for seventeen of those years. His Il million (The Million), known in English as the “Travel of Marco Polo”, is a classic of travel literature.

 Marco Polo’s family was wealthy and rich that is because he received a good education and he learnt about classical authors, the theology of the Latin Church, and both Italian and French. Marco Polo hailed from a family of sailors. In ancient Venice, he started his first voyage along with his father Niccolo and his uncle Maffeo at the age of seventeen in 1271 A.D. From Venice, they passed through Armenia, Persia and Afghanistan and over the Pamir Mountains to reach china through the Silk Route. They also travelled to Istanbul and then reached the kingdom of Gorgia in Southern Caucasus.

When Marco Polo passed through the great Gobi Desert, which is more than 500,000 square miles (805,000 kms) of sand, he described its vastness in the following words: “This desert is reported to be so long that it would take a year to go from one end to another end, and at the narrowest point it takes a month to cross it. There is nothing at all to eat”. Gobi Desert was part of the Mongolian Empire ruled by the great Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis khan and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in 13^th century China). After passing through the Gobi Desert, Marco Polo with his father and uncle went to Schow (Duhuang) in Tangut province, which is today known as Tangku, a major city in China. They  stayed there for a year and later Marco Polo was appointed by Kublai khan as a courtier in Cambaluc or Khanbalig (meaning “The city of Khan”) which later became the part of Beiging. Marco Polo was also provided a linguist in Kublai Khan’s capital. Kublai Khan had presented them with a golden tablet ( 1 foot long and 3 inches wide) inscribed with these words: “ By the strength of the eternal heaven, holy be the Khan’s name, let him that pays him not reverence be killed.” This golden tablet was like a VIP passport, authorizing the travelers to receive horses, lodging, food and guides as they required. They stayed there for seventeen years and Marco Polo had mastered four languages at that time. He learnt about trade, industry and new paper currency that were much easier to transport than heavy gold or silver.

In 1293, they began their journey towards their home by ship. They took a sea route and passed the South China Sea to Samarta and the Indian Ocean and finally reached Hormuz. The voyage took two years and they are believed to have then visited Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Sri Lanka enroute to India. He also touched several coastal cities of India, such as, Madras (now Chennai), Calicut on the Malabar Coast in Kerela, and Thane near Mumbai.

They returned to Venice in A.D. and stayed there. Marco Polo died on January, 1324 at the age of seventy and on his deathbed he uttered his famous last words: “I have only told the half of what I saw”.

His book called “The Description of the World” or “The Travels of Marco Polo” was one of the most popular books in Medieval Europe and became a best seller, even though some people thought his stories were too incredible to be true.

 

JAMMU AND KASHMIR (Paradise on Earth)

Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost Union Territory of India. It is situated in the Himalayan Mountains. Jammu and Kashmir is situated on the top most part of the country. The majestic Himalayan Mountain in Jammu and Kashmir represents the jaw-dropping supremacy, beauty and opulence of Nature. The lush green valleys are a rare spectacle to behold. The beautiful gardens built by the Mughals are one of the major attractions of Jammu and Kashmir. Another major attraction of this state is the picturesque lakes and the house boats. These are considered as the most interesting aspect of Jammu and Kashmir tourism. Due to its striking geographical locations, adventure sports are a big rage here.     

Jammu and Kashmir consists of three regions: Jammu, valley of Kashmir and Ladakh. Kashmir is famous for its beautiful and picturesque mountainous landscape, Jammu’s numerous temples attract thousands of Hindu pilgrims every year. Ladakh, also known as “Little Tibet” or “The Hermit City”, is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhist culture.

Jammu and Kashmir is embedded with stunning green landscapes, beautiful Mountains, Rivers, Streams, Snow Deserts and verdant Forests that are home to a variety of flora and fauna species. This “paradise on Earth” is famous worldwide for its mesmerizing and enchanting beauty.

It is abundant with natural resources and blessed with a pleasing salubrious climate that lures tourists to its abode. Jammu and Kashmir is abound with a number of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and forest reserves that are enclosed with large hectares of heavily forested areas within the lowlands of the Himalayan mountains and wetlands of the region. Dotted with monasteries, shrines, mosques and temples, Jammu and Kashmir has a spiritual appeal apt for pilgrim tours.  

The lifestyle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is completely different. The food they eat, the costumes they wear, the languages they speak is all different and unique. Ladakh region shows a strong resemblance of Tibet in all things. Due to such confluence of many cultures, religions and ethnic groups, Jammu and Kashmir has been appropriately described as the heart of Asia.

FIRST RECORDED TRAVEL

The first journey is believed to be made by Queen Hatshepsut to the land of "Punt" on the east coast of Africa (modern day Somalia or Eritrea), for the purpose of peace and tourism in 1480 B.C. (Goeldner and Ritchie, 2003). It is also considered as the first recorded cruise tour. The descriptions of this tour have been recorded on the walls of the Temple of Deit El Bahari at Luxor. 

The land of Punt (also known as "land of God" or "God's land" ) was regarded as the land of plenty, with rich resources. It is now called as Ta Netjar. 

In this tour, there were five ships and 210 men, who sailed from Egypt to Punt for the purpose of making trade relations. They traveled down the Nile across land to the Red Sea. The trip took about 25 days. They returned from Punt carrying vast wealth including ivory, ebony, gold, wild animals and plants, elephant tusks, leopard skins and incense etc. 

Queen Hatshepsut became the first pharaoh (the title for the king of ancient Egypt) in about 1470 B.C. She reigned between 1473 B.C and 1458 B.C. and is considered as the longest reigning female pharaoh in Egypt.