العرب والملاحة في المحيط الهندي

by George F. Hourani, جورج فضلو حوراني, السيد يعقوب بكر (translator)

Arab Seafaring in the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times. In this classic work George Hourani deals with the history of the sea trade of the Arabs in the Indian Ocean from its obscure origins many centuries before Christ to the time of its full extension to China and East Africa in the ninth and tenth centuries.

Genres: History, Middle East, Medieval History, Maritime, Travel

415 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1909

Reviews

[Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading “Conquerors” by Roger Crowley, I wanted to know more about the Muslim merchant routes it described as pre-dating the arrival of the Portuguese in the Indian ocean. This book was not even close to what I was hoping but it does give a reasonable account of the extent of Muslim merchant voyages up to the height of the Abbasid Caliphate. Of particular interest was the long legacy it described, with similar voyages being taken by different Arab polities long before the arrival of Islam. Unfortunately, between not dealing at all with the Muslim expansion into Southeast Asia and dedicating an inordinate amount of time to the type, construction and life in the ships that plied these routes, I can’t say that it’s was worthwhile to read.

[reveurdart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good primer to Indian Ocean history.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was first published in 1951, but the 'expanded edition' of 1995 with commentary and notes by several leading scholars, overseen by John Carswell (Director of the Islamic Department at Sotheby's) has brought it closer to where research has led us today. But not quite--maritime archaeology has been one of the hottest growth areas over the past few decades, so it excludes such finds as the 9th century Arab dhow, the Belitun salvaged from the waters south of Singapore and now showcased in Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum. That is a true shame since the ship was loaded with Tang ceramics plus antique bronze mirrors and other fascinating wares on its return journey from China proving that nail-less Arab dhows did sail from Central Asian ports (Basra> Siraf? Aden?) to China and back (although clearly this ship didn't). Anyone interested in this find should try to find and read the superb volume
Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds, which has chapters by today's leading scholars discussing the ship and its finds.

Nevertheless, this slim volume is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the historical trade between Egypt/Persia/Arabia and Southeast Asia/China and Carswell's comments and footnotes are as fascinating and helpful as the original text. I have yet to find an introduction to this subject that yields so much useful background information as this deceptively 'old' book.

There are three main chapters covering the pre-Islamic era, then trade routes under the Caliphate, with a final chapter on ships that discusses such basic information as hulls, masts and sails and navigation that includes a few plates showing the earliest examples we have of ancient ships--from Ajanta, Borobudur, ancient manuscripts, etc.

The extensive and updated Bibliography and Index point you in the right direction for more reading, and, no surprise, some of the older listings proved to be the most helpful leads in my search for more information on this subject. A good starting point would be the 1992 volume by Vimala Begley and Richard D. De Puma's (eds.) Rome And India: The Ancient Sea Trade.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in pre-Portuguese ancient trade between east and west, but best read with a historical atlas at your side unless you are already fluent in the port names of the Middle East in Graeco-Roman times. There are some historical B&W maps in the volume, but I found coloured topographical maps (old and modern) extremely helpful in understanding where rivers silted up, the rise and fall of ports, and the role deserts and mountain ranges and oceanic troughs played.

[PMP · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The life of these sailors, like that of the beduin in the desert, contains much that is fune. But sailing ships and camels alike have almost outlived their economic utility, and cannot be kept going for aesthetic reasons alone."

According to this precious classic, the marakib al-Sin (Arab ships playing the China route) would sail down the Persion Gulf in Sep/Oct, and cross from Muscat to Malabar with the Northeast monsoon in Nov/Dec. No further sailing until the cyclones in the Southern part of the Bay of Bengal died down. Jan would take them to Kalah Bar, then to the Malacca Strait a few weeks later. In time to catch the Southern monsoon in the Sea of China. After a summer in Canton, loading silk fabrics, camphor, musk and spices, they would return with the Northeast monsoon to the Malacca Strait between Oct and Dec, cross the Bay of Bengal in Jan, move from Kulam to Raysut in Feb/Mar, still with the Northeast, and end the voyage in Muscat in a smooth summer Gulf.