NGCI Takes Endemol Travel Series

AMSTERDAM, August 6: National Geographic Channels
International has acquired Camels, Courts, and Concubines: The Adventures of
Ibn Battutah, a three-part travelogue from
Endemol International following in the footsteps of Ibn Battutah, a pioneering
14th century Moroccan scholar.

The series begins airing in December in 165 countries around
the world on both NGCI’s core channel and on Nat Geo Adventure. It documents
the journey of Tim Mackintosh-Smith, an Islamic expert and medieval scholar who
in celebration of Battutah’s 700th birthday, sets off to follow the
path of the world’s first backpacker. Battutah is a legendary traveler who left
his home in Tangiers, Morocco, on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325. After arriving
in Mecca, Battutah decided to keep going, embarking on what was to be a
monumental 30-year journey across 120,000 kilometers, through 40 countries in
three continents.

“One of the particularly relevant and fascinating aspects of
this series is the way it shows the diversity of the Islamic world—both
in the Middle Ages and today,” said Matt Creasey, Endemol’s director of sales
and distribution. “It’s already received widespread critical acclaim in the
U.K. and is ideally suited for National Geographic Channels International’s
global network.”

Sydney Suissa, NGCI’s executive VP of content, added, “Camels,
Courts, and Concubines: The Adventures of Ibn Battutah is an excellent cross-channel series, able to blend
adventure, old world history and modern day reality in a unique way that
appeals to our core channel and Nat Geo Adventure audiences.”