Jordi Savall is a true musical pioneer, blurring boundaries between early music, world music and folk traditions, and combining vibrant performance with searching scholarship into undiscovered aspects of musical history. He has also entertained and captivated audiences at the Edinburgh International Festival for over a decade.

Savall assembles musicians from Europe and the Middle East, India, China and North Africa – alongside his own remarkable Hespèrion XXI early music ensemble – for a journey into the unknown with a man considered by many to be the greatest traveller of all time: Ibn Battuta.

Born into a family of Islamic scholars in north Africa in the 14th century, Ibn Battuta travelled to the extremes of the world as it was then known, covering an estimated 120,000km from Europe to China, Russia to Sri Lanka. His writings provide fascinating glimpses into medieval life right across the globe, as well as documenting the richness of music he encountered.

Savall’s evening-long excursion is an immense literary, historical, geographical and musical fresco that contrasts medieval European music with sounds from across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, revealing compelling insights into contrasting cultures – and the connections that unite them.

Narrated in English with supertitles.

Made possible through the PLACE programme