Ibn Battuta - the great traveller in Banaadir

[Warsan_Star_Muslimah]

For comparison, the Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta (1304-1369) visited the East Coast of Africa about a century earlier than Zheng He and Fei Xin, in 1331. He visited Mogadishu, which he described as "a town of enormous size. Its merchants are possessed of vast resources; they own large numbers of camels, of which they slaughter hundreds every day [for food], and also have quantities of sheep. In this place are manufactured the woven fabrics called after it, which are unequalled and exported from it to Egypt and elsewhere."

[Warsan_Star_Muslimah]

They eat rice cooked with ghee, which is served on a large wooden platter. On top they set dishes of kushan. These are relishes, composed of chicken, meat, fish and vegetables. In one dish they serve green bananas in fresh milk, in another yogurt with pickled lemon, bunches of pepper pickled in vinegar and salt, green ginger and mangoes. These are like apples, but with a pit. They are very sweet when ripe, but when immature are acid like lemons; they pickle the unripe mangoes in vinegar. They eat a mouthful of rice, then some of the salted and pickled relishes.

[abgaalKING]

IBN Battuta visited mogadishu and was amazed by the splendor of xamar and the great hospitality of the mogadishoers.
walee sayid been ma sheegin alleylehe dad lama dooriyee darisnimo abgaal baa leh.