In the annals of world history, few travelers rival the fame and accomplishments of Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan explorer whose journeys spanned over 75,000 miles and took him to the farthest reaches of the known world during the 14th century. A devout Muslim, an observant scholar, and a keen observer

Not all profiteers were heartless. Some merchants genuinely believed they were providing vital goods. They defended their high prices by citing risk to their own lives or the cost of transporting goods through plague-ridden areas. Yet the line between survival and exploitation was thin, and many cle

1. Grave Merchants and Burial Profits With death on an incomprehensible scale, the demand for burial services skyrocketed. Gravediggers, coffin-makers, and undertakers raised their prices dramatically. In many places, the cost of a simple burial could double or triple, and only the wealthy could

The Black Death, a catastrophic plague that swept through Europe between 1347 and 1351, is remembered as one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. It claimed the lives of an estimated 25 to 50 million people—roughly one-third to one-half of Europe's population at the time. Amidst th