Ahmad ibn Majid: ‘Shahabuddin,’ The Lion of the Sea

Ray Petersen -

Muscat, may 12 -

Scholars are divided in regard to the birthplace of the 15th Century seafaring legend, Shihab Al Din Ahmad ibn Majid bin Mohammed Al Sabawi. Although often believed to be an Omani, most believe him to have actually been born in Ras Al Khaimah, which was then known as Julphar, in 1421.

History does, however, accept that his father too was a man of the sea, but one with unique foresight, who insisted that a clear understanding of the Quran, and its spiritual guidance would be as important to the boy, as would any knowledge he could teach his son about sailing, the seas, and the countries he would eventually sail to. So from Ibn Majid’s first short voyage, at the age of seven, the young sailor became a student, not only of winds, currents and tides, but the moon, stars, and sun, in order that he would always understand where he was, in relation to where he was going. At seventeen years of age, having memorised and gained an understanding of the path initiated by the Holy Quran, and having digested the navigational learnings of his father, Ibn Majid went to sea as a competent helmsman, using a rudder oar, and navigator, and from those humble beginnings, progressed quickly to the rank of ‘Master Mariner,’ or in Arabic ‘mu’allim.’

Tradition within the Middle East ascribes Ibn Majid with the invention of the navigator’s compass, however Chinese sailors had been using a form of the device since 500 years earlier. Then in the 13th Century, the original compass, which simply consisted of a magnetised iron ‘fish’ floating in a bowl of water, was transformed by an Italian trader, who fixed a slimmer magnetised ‘needle’ to an axis. What Ibn Majid did do however, was to pull all of the component parts together, and place them in an oscillating box, which allowed the compass itself, much greater stability.

At the same time he was to invent the Kamal, a forerunner to the sextant, which is still used by some sailors today. It was a simple contraption, made of a knotted string and a rectangular wooden tablet. The specifically placed knots would allow the sailor’s latitude to be measured in relation to the North Star (sometimes called the Pole Star), and therefore their relationship to their trading ports. This navigational practice became known in European navigation as, “raising the Pole Star.” His other key implementations were of a ‘wind-rose,’ which measured not only the direction of the wind, but its prevalence, and a flag communication system between boats.

His interests in astronomy, mathematics and geography, instilled with such foresight by his father, over the years led Ibn Majid to an amazing legacy of seagoing literature. His first was an encyclopedia, ‘Kitab al Fawa’id,’ or ‘Book of Lessons on the Sea and Navigation.’ In it, he described the history of navigation, and the basic elements of the Arab trading empire, such as ports locations from East Africa to South East Asia, and the essential differences between sailing the high seas and coastal sailing. He wrote of the possible origins, and effects of hurricanes, typhoons, and the monsoon season on trading voyages, drawing from the experiences of hundreds of fellow sailors, and his father, the one who started him thinking in the first place, that there was more to sailing than using the wind to get from A to B.

His most famous book however, was, and still is lauded globally, as an oceanographic and navigational masterpiece. The ‘Faw’dh Fi Usl Ilm Al Bahrwa Al Quwaidah,’ or ‘The Book of the Useful Information on the Principles and Rules of Navigation,’ is a literary example of a generation when the Ottoman Empire, and Europe had greatly limited knowledge of the Indian Ocean, while the Arab world was at its most successful.

As a guide to the sailing conditions of the time, Ibn Majid’s descriptions of the prevailing winds, tidal patterns, charts, and celestial navigation guidance were of immeasurable assistance to Arab sea captains for hundreds of years as they traded the ports of the Asian and African continents. Both of these volumes can be seen today in the National Library of France, in Paris.

With the passing of time, his passion for learning and communication meant that he learned Greek, Tamil, Farsi and many of the East African dialects. He developed too, a religious and cerebral understanding of his world, which led him to yet another legacy as a romanticist, and his poetry and verse too, survives him.

Ibn Majid has been inextricably linked with the navigation, by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, of a previously undiscovered route to India. However, all may not be as it seems, as Ibn Majid being as well schooled and knowledgeable as he was, he would have known that to show da Gama this route would have meant an end to Arab seafarer’s domination of the region. He would not have allowed this to happen. It is doubtful whether any navigator of the time would knowingly share their knowledge and charts with any other nation, let alone a sworn and religious foe, as the Portuguese were, at the time. It’s inconceivable that such a transaction, offering the riches of the East, to the West, on a plate, would happen.

Ottoman historian Qutb al Din, fifty years after the passing of Ibn Majid, attributed, or blamed, the sailor for showing da Gama the route, but this is refuted by historian G R Tibbets saying that it could not have been him. Tibbets reflects that it was most likely a, “lesser navigator, a Gujarati in the port of Malindi, who was drunk, and an unsuitable person for historical recognition,” and that Ibn Majid was ‘written into history’ due to his absolute eminence in navigating the Indian Ocean. Shaikh Sultan ibn Mohammed al Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah was one prominent local figure supportive of Ibn Majid’s reputation.

In the eyes of many Omanis, Ibn Majid is a national hero, while in the eyes of nautical historians he was, above all, a fountain of knowledge. Whether we learn of him, as a sailor, a scientist, a poet or an inventor, a theologian or a trader, there is a little bit in all of us, wants to be what he is, a legend, and a true lion of the sea.