The 20-year-old Muslim religious law student Ibn Battuta (1304–1368),[3] set out from Tangier, a city in northern Morocco, in 1325, on a pilgrimage to Mecca, some 3,000 miles (over 4,800 km) to the East.

The journey took him 18 months to complete and along the way he met with misfortune and adversity, including attack by bandits, rescue by Bedouins,[4] fierce sand storms[5] and dehydration.

[4] On Ibn Battuta's return the Sultan of Morocco requested that he relate his experiences, and this was to become what the Saudi Gazette referred to as "one of the world's most famous travel books", The Rihla (Voyage).

[5][4] With narration by Ben Kingsley, the film, which is "bookended" by scenes from the contemporary Muslim pilgrimage,[4] chronicles the first 18-month-long leg of Ibn Battuta's journey, to Mecca.

[5] Reaching Egypt, he handed a letter given to him by a friend to a Sheikh, and based on a Hadith (an oral tradition) of the Prophet Muhammed, he was advised "to seek knowledge to China", hence his further extensive travels.

[9] According to a review on the National Post in Canada, the IMAX format is best suited to the vast landscapes which Ibn Battuta crossed and less so for the close-ups and market places.

"[5] Ann Coates, reviewing the film at Big Movie Zone, stated that with very little narration, unlike other giant screen productions, this helps the dramatic portrayal of Ibn Battuta and "his dangerous trek".