ABSTRACT
On the 17th of November I left Mecca with the commander of the ‘lráq caravan, who hired for me at his own expense the half of a camel-litter as far as Baghdád, and took me under his protection. After the farewell ceremony of circumambulation [of the Ka'ba] we moved out to the Bottom of Marr with an innumerable host of pilgrims from ‘lráq, Khurásán, Fárs and other eastern lands, so many that the earth surged with them like the sea and their march resembled the movement of a high-piled cloud. Any person who left the caravan for a moment and had no mark to guide him to his place could not find it again because of the multitude of people. With this caravan there were many draught-camels for supplying the poorer pilgrims with water, and other camels to carry the provisions issued as alms and the medicines, potions, and sugar required for any who fell ill. Whenever the caravan halted food was cooked in great brass cauldrons, and from these the needs of the poorer pilgrims and those who had no provisions were supplied. A number of spare camels accompanied it to carry those who were unable to walk. All those measures were due to the benefactions and generosity of the sultan [of ‘lráq] Abú Sa'íd. Besides this the caravan included busy bazaars and many commodities and all sorts of food and fruit. They used to march during the night and light torches in front of the files of camels and litters, so that you saw the country gleaming with light and the darkness turned into day.
