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Arab
Muslims brought shipbuilding techniques from the Indian
Ocean to the Mediterranean. In this regard, Dr. A Hakim
Murad stated: "One reason for
the Muslims to dominate the Mediterranean was their superior
knowledge of ship-building techniques.
The
early Arab Muslims were a great maritime nation during
the fifth Caliph, Mu'awiyah's rule. The first significant
fleet was constructed in Alexandria.
Muslims
quickly confronted the Byzantine navy and established
an unchallenged Muslim naval superiority throughout the
Mediterranean.
The
Arab ship building techniques were made possible by the
fact that the Muslim empire bordered both halfs of the
formerly divided world.
What
the Arabs did was to import into the Mediterranean ship-building
techniques that had long been known amongst the navigators
in the far more difficult and treacherous waters of the
Indian Ocean.
The
ships were a lot larger and sturdier. The galley, which
had formally been the main method of long-range sea fairing
in the Mediterranean, was not completely displaced, but
by and large the Muslims did not use galley very much.
This
was largely because they had something called Latin Sail
that was much more effective and efficient than the former
rather simple square sail veils used in the Mediterranean,
known as Carrack.
The
Europeans ship builders started to pick up on the Muslim
techniques and improve upon them.
Europe
and North Africa
according to Piri Reis
The
great journeys of discovery undertaken by the European
in the fifteen century, whether around the Cape or across
to the Americas, was based in large measure on this Indian
Ocean technology, which was brought to the Mediterranean
by the Muslim Arabs.
Because
of the capacity of the European to emulate these innovations,
European navigation started to rejoin the European trade.
The
Europeans had trading partners in North Africa and many
of the mercantile in North Africa were not Muslims, but
Jews. It was easier for Jewish merchants to visit Europe
and trade than for Muslims, because of European customs
of tolerating Jews.
North
Africa was the emergent point for the Jewish contribution
to Mediterranean trade.
This great domination of the seas by the Islamic world
has left permanent memories even in the English language.
The word Admiral, for example, came from the Arabic word
"amir albaher," which means prince or commander
of the sea and Monsoon, Slop, Barrack, etc."
Astronomical
Handbook
17th Century
On
The Water
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