WHO DID REALLY DISCOVER NEW WORLDS?

In the following essay I'll talk about arabic geography and seamanship, which had influance on the European renaissance and how they had a big role in discovering »new worlds«.

Arabic interest in geography started islam, which appeared in 6th century. Haj like an obligation played a big role, because muslims tried to find the shortest way to Mekka.

They started looking back in history and taking informations from the Greeks. The best known Ptolemy books are »The big mathematical system of astrology« and »Introduction to geography«.

The arabic writer Al-Huvarazmi wrote »Suret Al-Edr« (Description of Earth), which Nallino and Italic orientalist says that there is no such European book, which can be compared to it. Also very known is the book from Az-Zejatija (or Leon from Africa like the Europeans called him) »Description of Africa«, which helped European people to get to know Arfica and the interior of it. Al-Mesud wrote many books of the winds in Indian Ocean, Al-Berun inferenced that Hundustan was a bay/gulf, which the rivers of Himalaya with its detritus covered and transformed to a rich ground. He also discovered that the raising of sea was because of the Moon. A very good proof, which shows us the high developed arabic geography is the fact, that Marco Polo said that he took informations and expressions for cities, which were in arabic text. »Al-Fevaid« of Shihabuddin ibni Majid is an uncredible description oceanography, where he describes depths, coral reefs, season winds etc. in the Indian Ocean, in the Red Sea and in the East China Sea. Even the names of stars like Achernar, Aldebaran, Alaid, Altair, Betelguese, Centaurus, Markab, Mirfak, Regal, Famalhut etc. poin out the incredibility of science, which was developed in the Arabic empire (because orgin of words are arabic).

Arabic instrument salso helped Europeans. For example compass, which is nowadays know as a Chinese instrument and not as a Greek or as an Arabic instrument, however Gustav Le Ron mentioned, that it is an Arabic original! Arabs also used sundial, kolure and square (that is the name of the instruments). Az-Zerkavi's astrolabe, which he named »safihah«, Europeans used for centuries. Also Al-Havkandi's instrument »Sudas-al-fahri« (in Europe know as sextant) was used by the Europeans.

It is necessary to mention: When the Christian Europe believed in the fact that the World is flat, in Spain they gave geographical lessons on the globe!

These facts are shown by the following intellects: Ibn Hordazbeg (9th century!!), Ibn Rusteh (10th century!!), Al-Mesudi and Abu al-Fida (THEY PROVED THAT THE EARTH IS ROUND).

Abu al-Fida with his studies of angles proved, that if a person goes in the north direction, the stars have greater angles as he goes to south. With such understandings about the round Earth they showed Columbus that his way to west could lead him to Asia and China. Important are Eratos' calculations of the tropic lenght, which is 66.2 miles. The sons of Musaa ibn Shakir's, a famous astronomer and mathematician, calculated the topic lenght. It was so precise that it is the same as today's (56.625 miles)!!! Than they multiplied by 360 and got the extent of Earth! It is also noteworth to mention the following intellects:As-Sindzari, Ash-Shirazi, Abu al-Feredz, Ash-Shani etc. Those were the scientists, who maintained that the Earth rotates around the Sun and with those thoughts they created the heliocentric system!! This system Arabs explained to Copernicus, who up to the end of the 16th century proved that they are right, but it was top late, because Arabs talked about that centuries ago.

America was discovered by muslims 5-6 cent. before Columbus. I also heard on one of the lectures about America, that Columbus saw a big minaret, when he was approaching the islands. I'm not sure this is true but it has to be checked. I will bring forward the information, which proves that muslims were in America. Abdul Hassan 'Ali ibn Al-Hussain Al-Mesudi (871-957) wrote in his Muruj adh-dhahad wa maadin al Djevher that Hash Hash ibn Said ibn Eswed from Spain reached America (year 889). Similar information was given by Ebu Bekr ibn Umar Al-Gutiyya. He wrote that Ibn Faruk crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 999.

Vasco da Gama has an interesting story. He stopped in Kenya and met Ibn Madjid, who instructed him about the further way to India (they also claim that one night they were drinking and the drunken Ibn Madjid showed (on a map) Vasco the way to India). Vasco got also a assistant in Malindya, who was a muslim. His name is Kan or Kank (they don't know the exact name).

All of these discoveries brought to the world only bad things! They brought hate, money desire and the most important bloodshed!

Jesenice, 8.10.2006

Avtor: Alim

I helped myself with:

ARAPSKO-ISLAMSKI UTICAJ NA EVROPSKU RENESANSU (skupina avtorjev),

ISLAM IN MODERNI ZAHOD (Ahmed Pašić)