1st Qafila. 2016 | Al-Qafila

The missing journey

if Ibn Battuta Trip 2016

" Germany, Holland, France, Czech, Austria and Slovenia"

What is the 'Missing Journey of Ibn Battuta'?
In the middle of the fourteenth century, Ibn Battuta started his travels from Tangier Morocco for religious reasons; mainly to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. However, he eventually ended up traveling to more than 44 countries (based on today's map) to discover the wonders of Asia and Africa and a little of Europe (Southeast & Andalusia).

If Ibn Battuta had had the time, he would have completed his journey to all of Europe, but he was called back to Tangier to write his famous book "The Journeys of Ibn Battuta". Big countries and rich cultures like Austria, Italy, Germany, France, and England were not part of the countries that Ibn Battuta had the chance to discover and communicate through his book.

It is for this reason that Al-Qafila has decided to complete Ibn Battuta's trip in its own way: by visiting some of the countries that he didn't have the chance to visit, to learn their culture and music, to discover their public sounds, at the fourteenth century and at other times, and to finally find the missing destination in Battuta's journey and thereby complete their musical program.

Al-Qafila met in Germany in Alteglofsheim (close to Munich) and did practice new program. After the workshop, the participants did a small European tour to visit the missing destinations in Ibn Battuta's book, to listen to learn to sing European music, while at the same time to sing the existing program "The Journey. To hear what Ibn Battuta heard", and transferring part of the middle eastern culture of the fourteenth century to the European musical counterparts.

Why?
To communicate part of middle eastern culture and heritage by swapping some of our old musical pieces with European ones in the proposed workshops.

The purpose of this tour, besides the cross-cultural communication, is to fundraise for the "Refugees Educational Youth Fund", as camps in Jordan are growing in deserts with a low opportunity for kids to continue their education as a result of lacking funds and infrastructure. That's why most of the participants in this Qafila were Jordanian.

Participants in the 1st Qafila :

The first Qafila was a singing one. Most of the participants where singers from " Amaan choir " in Jordan :

George Kdess " Piano"

Ammar Jaber " Tenor"

Gazal Odeh "Alto"

Haya Qamhia "Soprano"

Mohammad Mufeed

Hashem Hatahet " Tenor"

Nada Jwehan "Alto"

Yara Juban "Soprano"

Muntaser Aladwan "Bass"

Mohamad Sukar " Tenor"