At some point during my travels (1989- 2010) in the Middle East I read “The Journey of Ibn Battuta” by the great th Egyptian writer Naguib Mafouz. I thought it was fiction. It was, but based on the real Ibn Battuta, the 14 century Muslim scholar & traveler. As I researched his life & journey I had no intention of repeating his twenty-nine year journey, but as life would have it I have more or less followed loosely in his footsteps. Sitting in a café in the Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai I imagined this project. This exhibition is a part of the larger project. I feel now is an excellent time to show these architectural gems that show the origins and treasures of these great cultures.
Lynn Davis, 2011