Worried about your travel carbon footprint? Then stop booking flights and consider a few hours at the Ibn Battuta Mall, which is a homage to the journeys of its 14th century namesake and legend. Imagine the 75,000 miles (121,000 km) of travel Ibn Battuta endured as you wander through this Dubai mall. Wander through Tunisia, Egypt, Andalusia, India, Persia and China, while mingling at fashion and food bazaars including H&M, The Gap, Nike and Starbucks. Interactive displays that cover Ibn Battuta’s journeys throughout the Middle East and beyond, jaunts that were far more impressive than those of Marco Polo offer a sense of history amongst all the commerce.

Ibn Battuta Mall is like Epcot Center in the United Arab Emirates, with even more imported foreign workers but no rides. An easy hop on and off from the futuristic Dubai Metro, the decor inside is certainly impressive. And the people watching is certainly highly entertaining! Your version of The Rihla will have plenty of great stories and observations after an hour or two here. Enjoy the pictures.

The entrance to Egypt, Ibn Battuta Mall

The entrance to Egypt, Ibn Battuta Mall

The Daiso store in Andalusia

The Daiso store in Andalusia

The entrance to Egypt, Ibn Battuta Mall

The entrance to Egypt, Ibn Battuta Mall

Starbucks in the Persian Court

Starbucks in the Persian Court

Tunisia at daybreak or dawn

Tunisia at daybreak or dawn with Cinnabon

Elephant ride anyone? India

Elephant ride anyone? India

About The Author

Leon Kaye

Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division, GGP Media. Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event. His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). He writes for San Francisco-based Triple Pundit, Inhabitat and now The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's Architect Magazine. Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.