Question

Who among the following travellers mentioned "a strange nation" when he saw the populated port of Calicut (present-day Kozhikode)?

Options

• Albiruni

• Abdur Razzaq Samarqandi

• Bernier

• Ibn Battuta

Answer 1

Abdur Razzaq Samarqandi

Explanation:

Abdur Razzaq's travelogue, published in the 1440s, is an intriguing blend of emotions and perceptions. On the one hand, he despised what he saw in the Kerala port of Calicut (now Kozhikode), which was populated by "a people the likes of whom I had never imagined," and referred to them as "a strange nation."