His presence was no more than a brief attendance at some of his lessons; the man's destination was the East. Al-Maziri's fame had not yet spread, as he lived for another thirty-six years. Al-Tijani alone mentioned in his journey that Ibn Tumart passed by the island of Jerba and stayed there for some time. His memory remained in a mosque he had inhabited for a few days. This is not theoretically improbable, as Jerba is located on the sea route between Mahdia and Alexandria.

Most sources that wrote biographies of Ibn Tumart agree that he arrived in Alexandria and studied there under Abu Bakr al-Tartushi (d. 521 AH/1127 CE). His arrival in Alexandria was natural; it was an important point by land and sea on the route between the Maghreb and the lands of the East, and an excellent resting place for Moroccans on their way to Hajj. They often found it a comfortable and stable place.

As was her custom in her travels, Ibn Tumart intended to go to Cairo first, and then to Alexandria. This is not mentioned in the old sources.

In Mecca: Many of these sources mention that Ibn Tumart visited Mecca on his journey and performed the Hajj pilgrimage. While some of these sources indicate that this visit was after he finished his studies, and from there he returned to the Maghreb, as Ibn al-Athir mentioned, saying: "He performed Hajj from there and returned to the Maghreb." It seems more likely that it occurred at the beginning of the journey after his departure from Egypt, which is confirmed by the narration of Ibn Khaldun, who said: "Then he traveled to...

Al-Tijani, Al-Rihla: (27) Ibn Tumart, in the civilization of Andalusia: John and Jerome Taru (28) See: Ibn Khallikan, Wafiyat: (29) Abu al-Fida, Al-Kamil: (30) Ibn Khaldun, Al-'Ibar: 6/465 Al-Bashir: 2/232