Description of Educational Centers in Ibn Jubayr’s Travelogue

Travelogues have a special place in historical studies due to their wealth of valuable information, and historians at all times have employed travelogues as first-hand sources in their research. Ibn Jubayr’ famous travelogue (540-614 AH/1145-1217), who made three visits to the East, is a description of his first travel. In addition to the pilgrimage to the Mecca, he toured cities in the territory between Andalusia and Hejaz and visited Acre, Sicily and Carthage on his way back. Ibn Jubayr, like other Muslim travel writers, had a keen eye for the scientific and educational situation, especially educational institutions in the lands he visited, and has provided invaluable and detailed information on this subject. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, this paper aims to analyze educational institutions through the spectacle of Jubayr after presenting a brief account of Ibn Jubayr’s reports on this subject. Based on the findings of this study, it is not surprising that Ibn al- Jubayr’s obsession with detailed depiction of educational institutions in some areas, especially Levant, has resulted in his neglect or negligence in elaborating on other institutions, such as the grand mosque attributed to Fatimids owing to his religious beliefs. In addition, a description of architectural elements, financial and welfare issues, financing strategies and the number of educational institutions, their religious affiliation as well as some specific educational practices in these centers are also other aspects of educational institutions examined by Ibn Jubayr.