Ibn Battuta: Edutaining the World?

Abstract

Nakheel, a Dubai World Company has created the world's largest themed mall based on the narrative of Ibn Battuta, a 14th century Muslim explorer whose world travels are well documented. The Ibn Battuta Mall is located in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and utilizes a communication strategy called edutainment: a neo-logistic portmanteau whose goals are to educate and entertain an audience. Through the use of diffusion theory and its five innovation attributes, this paper recognizes that the architects and designers of the Ibn Battuta Mall have placed edutainment goals into the context of a mall expressing a predominantly Arab and Muslim identity. This paper argues that the mall has failed to achieve many of its educational goals and has replaced historical fact and authenticity in favor of expressing a message of opulence and social prestige, which defines the mall as a place of commerce rather than a stimulating learning environment.