Question

The following is how Ibn Battuta described the coconut: These trees are among the most peculiar trees in kind and most astonishing in habit. They look exactly like date-palms, without any difference between them except that the one produces nuts as its fruits and the other produces dates. The nut of a coconut tree resembles a man’s head, for in it are what look like two eyes and a mouth, and the inside of it when it is green looks like the brain, and attached to it is a fibre which looks like hair. They make from this cords with which they sew up ships instead of (using) iron nails, and they (also) make from it cables for vessels.

What are the comparisons that Ibn Battuta makes to give his readers an idea about what coconuts looked like? Do you think these are appropriate? How does he convey a sense that this fruit is unusual? How accurate is his description?

Answer 1

I. Ibn Battuta uses the following vivid comparisons:

1. The Tree: He compares the coconut tree to the date-palm tree, stating they look identical in structure.
2. The Shape: He compares the coconut nut to a human head.
3. The Features: He equates the holes on the nut to two eyes and a mouth.
4. The Kernel: He compares the soft inside of a green coconut to a human brain.
5. The Husk: He compares the outer fibre of the nut to human hair.

II. Yes, these comparisons are highly appropriate.

1. Ibn Battuta’s readers in North Africa and the Middle East were deeply familiar with date palms and human anatomy.
2. By using these familiar references, he helped his audience perfectly visualise an exotic tropical fruit they had never seen before.

III. He creates a sense of wonder through two methods:

1. Exotic Language: He opens by calling the tree the “most peculiar” and “most astonishing” in habit.
2. Unique Utility: He notes its extraordinary strength, explaining that locals weave its fibre into ropes to sew up ships instead of using iron nails.

IV. His description is remarkably accurate.

1. Morphological Accuracy: Physically, the three pores on a coconut shell do mimic a human face, and the coir resembles hair.
2. Historical Accuracy: His observation about ship-building is a verified historical fact. Mediterranean and Indian Ocean shipbuilders used coir rope (sewn-plank technique) because iron nails would rust rapidly in seawater.