Ibn Battuta Mall, Part Deaux

We went back to Ibn Battuta Mall to fetch some stuff. I managed to convince DH that I needed to walk through the areas we didn't get to on Thursday.

In the previous column, I showed pictures of the Indian Court and the Persian Court. The signage said there were seven areas that the great traveler documented for posterity. So, I set out to find the other areas in the mall. By my figuring, I needed to explore Andulusia, Tunisia, Egypt and Asia.




I found the Egyptian Court. Very classy. There were hieroglyphics and murals all over the walls. There was even a giant statuary display that Egyptian engineers and inventors in a confab beneath some kind of giant sized gyroscope. It was pretty impressive, I couldn't get the whole thing in one picture, it was that big. They had huge columns, palm trees and ornate carvings everywhere you looked.

Then I wandered into the Tunisian Court, which is co-located with the Food Court. So, bonus! We got a snack and then I snapped a few shots of the Tunisian area. Since we just moved from Tunisia, I kept hoping I'd feel more comfortable in that section of the mall, but not so much. One thing Tunisia had going for it (in the Ibn Battuta Mall) was the beautiful sky mural on the ceiling. It really was lovely. Realistic and restful. I wonder if it morphs to the night sky later in the evening?

The Andalusian Court of the Mall was the smallest section. Ibn Battuta traveled to Andalusia and apparently, learned to hang glide. Or maybe he learned to fly kites. I'm not sure. The architecture was not that interesting. I should probably go back and read all the signage. I was quite taken with this statue of the hang glider, though.


One of the most impressive parts of the Andalusian Court is the lion fountain. It's set in an impressive dome area. The fountain rests on the back of a pride of lions who face outwards and look a little angry. Maybe the weight of the bowl above them is onerous. This fountain is generally a resting place for people. I couldn't get a good picture without sitters obscuring the fountain itself, so I snagged this picture off the Mall's website.

The last part of the Mall that I found was the Chinese Court. It's possibly the most colorful part of the structure. In addition to the ubiquitous Pagoda entrance, they included a full sized Chinese junk.

The ceilings were ornate and featured all the oriental motifs normally seen in oriental art. Each different hall had a unique and colorful ceiling pattern. In the junk room, you can see the sky blue cross members with inset red squares filled with shiny gold medallions. There's a second floor in the Chinese Court that has an health club (for members only!) Interestingly enough, it only has escalators going up and down. No stairs. I guess the health conscious work out so hard, they can't make it down a flight of stairs without some help.

All in all, I think this mall is a wonderful landmark. There is a museum like quality to it that lessens the shameless commerce and makes you feel a little more like an invited visitor and less like a dollar sign. I guess I'm lucky that it's also the closest one to the house. I'll be able to read all the historical stuff over my next few visits.

--Sandee Wagner