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sonz
08-20-2005, 05:42 PM
1421: The Year a Chinese Muslim Discovered America


The British submarine engineer and historian Gavin Menzies gave an astounding seminar on March 15, 2002 to the Royal Geographical Society in London, with evidence to support his theory that Zheng He, the Chinese Muslim navigator in Ming dynasty, beat Columbus by more than 70 years in discovering America.
Using evidence from maps drawn dated before Columbus' trip that clearly showed America, and astronomical maps traced back to Zheng He's time, Menzies is confident that the Zheng He should be honored as the first discoverer of America.

Menzies's conclusion is based on 14 years of research that includes secret maps, evidence of artifacts, and apparent proof of the voyage provided by the modern astronomy software program Starry Night.

As key evidence for a voyage that will remake history, Menzies says he obtained ancient Chinese navigation charts associated with the travels of Zheng He. The journey ran from 1421 to 1423. Menzies maintains that the ships sailed around the Southern tips of both Africa and South America.

"I set Starry Night up for dates in 1421 for parts of the world where I thought the Chinese had sailed," explained Menzies, a navigation expert and former Royal Navy submarine commander. He found that in two separate locations of the voyage, easily recognizable stars were directly above Zheng He's fleet.

Those stars have since moved, due to changes in Earth's orientation in space. Earth's spin is slightly imperfect, and its axis carves a circle on the sky every 26,000 years. The phenomenon, called precession, means that each pole points to different stars as time progresses. Menzies used the software program to recreate the sky as it would have looked in 1421.

"I had Chinese star charts, and I needed to date the charts," he said. "By an incredible bit of luck, one of the courses they steered, between Sumatra and Dondra Head, Ceylon, was due west."

This part of the journey was very near the equator in the Indian Ocean. Both Polaris, the North Star, and the bright southern star Canopus, which was very nearly above the celestial south pole, were on the charts. "From that I was able to determine the apparent shift of Polaris (due to precession). I could therefore date the chart to 1421, plus or minus 30 years."

Phillip Sadler, a celestial navigation expert at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, says the estimation of a map's age based on star positions is possible. He said an estimate within 30 years, as Menzies claims, is possible.

About Zheng He:

Zheng He (1371-1435), or Cheng Ho, is China's most famous navigator. He built a total of 1622 ships and made at least seven major excursions between 1405 AD and 1430 AD. He traveled more than 50,000km and visited over 30 countries, reaching Somalia and probably Europe (France, Holland and Portugal).

Zheng He constructed many wooden ships, some of which are the largest in the history, in Nanjing. Three of the shipyards still exist today.

In each trip, he led a troop of 27,800 people on more than 300 ships. In each trip, 62 major ships of this fleet were employed, each over 400 ft long and 193 ft wide, holding 1000 people per ship, dwarfing Columbus' Santa Maria (75 ft x 25 ft) more than six-fold.

In the 1930s, a stone pillar was discovered in a town in Fujian province. It held an inscription that described the amazing voyages of Zheng He.

Zheng He described how the emperor of the Ming Dynasty had ordered him to sail to "the countries beyond the horizon," all the way to the end of the earth." His mission was to display the might of Chinese.

The pillar contains the Chinese names for the countries Zheng He visited. He wrote:

We have...beheld in the ocean huge waves like mountains rising sky-high, and we have set eyes on barbarian regions far away hidden in a blue transparency of light vapors, while our sails, loftily unfurled like clouds, day and night continued their course rapid like that of a star, transversing the savage waves as if we were treading a public thoroughfare.

The countries and territories covered and recorded in the official Ming history includes Java, Sumatra, Vietnam, Siam, Cambodia, Philippines, Ceylon, Bangladesh, India, Yemen, Arabia, Somalia, Mogadishu. As a clear demonstration of his travel to Africa, among the souvenirs he brought back to China were the giraffes and lions, indigenous animals of Africa.

The official history also mentioned "Franca" (which was the territory to describe today's France and Portugal) and Holland. The Hollanders were described as tall people with red hair and beard, long nose, and deep eye sockets. If he did meet with the Europeans in their native countries, then the only way would be to navigate around the Cape of Good Hope before the Suez Canal was a throughway.

Unfortunately, Zheng He's magnificent accomplishment was later targeted by other courtiers as wasteful. Most of his records were destroyed and building of ships with more than three masts were considered crimes punishable by death. So, a large part of his excursion (which might include the America part) has no reports.

In Africa near Kenya today, there are tribes that are clearly Asian-looking. They also consider themselves as the descendants of Zheng He's crew.

His achievements show that China had the ships and navigational skills to explore the world. Mysteriously, China did not follow up on these voyages. The Chinese destroyed their ocean going ships and halted further expeditions. Thus, a century later, Europeans would "discover" China, instead of the Chinese "discovering" Europe.

China has a very old seafaring tradition. Chinese ships had sailed to India as early as the Han Dynasty. Chinese sailors had an important invention to help them-the compass. The compass, or "south pointing spoon," started out as a fortune-telling instrument used like an Ouija board. By the Song era, sailors had taken it up. As a foreign ship captain wrote, "In dark, weather they look to the south pointing needle, and use a sounding line to determine the smell and nature of the mud on the sea bottom, and so know where they are.

Chinese shipbuilders also developed fore-and-aft sails, the sternpost rudder, and boats with paddlewheels. Watertight compartments below decks kept the ship from sinking. Some boats were armor plated for protection. All these developments made long distance navigation possible.

After the Mongols were overthrown in 1368, the emperor of the new Ming Dynasty wanted to assert Chinese power. Because China was no longer part of a land empire that stretched from Asia to Europe, the emperor turned to the sea. He decided to build a navy. The Chinese made elaborate plans that would not be fulfilled for many years. A shipyard was built at the new capital of Najing (Nanking). Thousand of varnish and tung trees were planted on nearby Purple Mountain to provide wood for shipbuilding. The emperor established a school of foreign languages to train interpreters. While all this was going on, the man who would lead the navy was still an infant.


China's greatest adventurer, the 15th century Muslim,
Admiral Zheng He

Zheng He was born in 1371 in Kunyang, a town in southwest Yunnan Province. His family, named Ma, were part of a minority group known as the Semur. They originally came from Central Asia and followed the religion of Islam. Both his grandfather and father had made the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Zheng He grew up hearing their accounts of travel through foreign lands.

Yunnan was one of the last strongholds of Mongol support, holding out long after the Ming Dynasty began. After Ming armies conquered Yunnan in 1382, Zheng He was taken captive and brought to Nanjing. The eleven year old boy was made a servant of the prince who would become the Yong Le Emperor. It was Yong Le who renamed the boy Zheng He.

Zheng He is described in Chinese historical records as tall and heavy, with "clear-cut features and long ear lobes; a stride like a tiger's and voice clear and vibrant." He was well liked and admired for his quick wit in argument. Moreover, he was a brave soldier. When his prince seized the Chinese throne from his nephew, Zheng He fought well on his behalf. As a result, Zheng He became a close confidant of the new emperor and was given an important position at court.
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czgibson
08-20-2005, 06:04 PM
What a fascinating post. Thanks for sharing it. :)

Amazing people, the Chinese. They discovered many things long before the rest of the world, such as printing and certain herbal medicines. Looks like there may be another item to add to the list!
Reply

Muezzin
08-20-2005, 06:07 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by czgibson
What a fascinating post. Thanks for sharing it. :)

Amazing people, the Chinese. They discovered many things long before the rest of the world, such as printing and certain herbal medicines. Looks like there may be another item to add to the list!
Don't forget fireworks!



Woooooooh!
Reply

fuzalert
08-20-2005, 07:32 PM
WOAH. Waay awesome!
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czgibson
08-20-2005, 10:37 PM
Don't forget fireworks!
:D :applaud:
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kadafi
08-20-2005, 11:00 PM
:sl:

There is also a great amount of evidence that suggests that West-African Muslims also discovered Americas before Columbus.


For more info: see here

Some also claim [supported with reasonable amount of convincing evidence] that the Vikings were the first Europeans to reach Americas.

:w:
Reply

minaz
08-21-2005, 09:38 AM
Lol the Native Americans were the first humans to reach America - END OF!
Reply

Muezzin
08-21-2005, 02:11 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by minaz
Lol the Native Americans were the first humans to reach America - END OF!
Aztecs, Incas and Apaches rule!
Reply

akulion
09-17-2005, 11:09 PM
Salam Alaikum
:sl:
Muslims Discover America
:brother: ~The Piri Reis Map~ :sister:


In 1929, a group of historians found an amazing map drawn on a gazelle skin. Research showed that it was a genuine document drawn in 1513 by Piri Reis, a famous admiral of the Turkish fleet in the sixteenth century.
His passion was cartography. His high rank within the Turkish navy allowed him to have a privileged access to the Imperial Library of Constantinople. The Turkish admiral admits in a series of notes on the map that he compiled and copied the data from a large number of source maps, some of which dated back to the fourth century BC or earlier.


The Piri Reis map shows the western coast of Africa, the eastern coast of South America, and the northern coast of Antarctica. The northern coastline of Antarctica is perfectly detailed. The most puzzling however is not so much how Piri Reis managed to draw such an accurate map of the Antarctic region 300 years before it was discovered, but that the map shows the coastline under the ice. Geological evidence confirms that the latest date Queen Maud Land could have been charted in an ice-free state is 4000 BC

The map was re-verified as being authentic on 6th July 1960 by the U. S. Air Force which responded to Prof. Charles H. Hapgood of Keene College, specifically to his request for an evaluation of the ancient Piri Reis Map.

Read about more amazing inventions and discoveries at http://path-to-peace.com/muslim_discoveries.html
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czgibson
09-17-2005, 11:21 PM
Greetings,

That's an interesting map - good post!

Have you seen this thread, though?:

1421: The Year A Chinese Muslim Discovered America

Peace
Reply

akulion
09-17-2005, 11:41 PM
Salam Alaikum
wow that cool!!
Thanks for the additional knowledge - pretty amazing stuff!
Reply

Ummu Amatullah
09-18-2005, 02:03 AM
Wow that's amazing so why do they say Columbus was the first?And to think that's how they get into youngsters heads buy phony lies.So typical :mad: :mad:(they meaning American's and the rest of the God forsaken world)
Reply

Halima
09-18-2005, 02:09 AM
mashallah, how interesting :)
Reply

minaz
09-18-2005, 08:52 AM
History is written by the victors
Reply

root
09-18-2005, 11:53 AM
Notes made by Piri indicated he had based his map on earlier maps, including one consulted by Columbus before his famous voyage.
Reply

Muezzin
09-18-2005, 12:16 PM
I'm sure this has already been discussed...

;)
Reply

Ummu Amatullah
09-18-2005, 12:21 PM
Well where're the mods. when you need them? :mad: :-[
Reply

Far7an
09-18-2005, 12:22 PM
Assalamu alaikum

Threads merged.

Jazakallah khair muezzin.
Reply

Ummu Amatullah
09-18-2005, 12:24 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by root
Notes made by Piri indicated he had based his map on earlier maps, including one consulted by Columbus before his famous voyage.
Oh,really is that so???????? :mad:
Reply

Far7an
09-18-2005, 12:57 PM
Assalamu alaikum

all off topic post have been deleted.
Reply

akulion
09-18-2005, 07:32 PM
Salam Alaikum,
Yes that is true Minaz, History is indeed written by victors!
A perfect example is "General Custers Last Stand"
Archeologists uncovered remnants of that 'great' battle and discovered shells of bullets used by general Custer and his army scattered in a long trail running away from the battle feild.
Thus they conclusively proved (now widely accepted) that in fact it was no courageous last stand but rather a cowardly running away..to the extent that skeletons uncovered in the archeological digs also revealed a horrible fact:
General Custer and his men were evidently so scared that they were shooting even at each other...the bullets from their guns (ammo used by the yanks back in those days) was found in skeletons still adorned with parts of the yanks uniform back then.

But alas people are tought otherwise and it gets worse. The American govt was presented these facts, and they flatly refused to change history saying that "every nation needs its heroes" - Well so much for heroes! Tsk Tsk

As for the Peri Reis map, its greatest significance is not that it reveals the fact that The Americas were discovered long before Colombus, but the significance actually lies in the fact that this map was highly detailed to the extent that it is comparable to sattelite imagery taken today!! This has even led to some crazy theories that "aliens" actually made that map - believe it or not lol!
Reply

Muezzin
09-18-2005, 07:38 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by akulion
This has even led to some crazy theories that "aliens" actually made that map - believe it or not lol!
Heh, and if you think that's stretching, wait until you hear the conspiracy theories about who or what really built the Pyramids. :p
Reply

akulion
09-18-2005, 07:42 PM
Salam Alaikum
Well no offence to anyone who may actually believe in what I am about to state.

"Talking about 'stretching it' wait till you read this, I heard people saying that it was reported that when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon he saw a mosque there"
;D
Reply

Muezzin
09-18-2005, 07:43 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by akulion
"Talking about 'stretching it' wait till you read this, I heard people saying that it was reported that when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon he saw a mosque there"
;D
I heard some story that he heard the athaan, but he refuted that claim, saying he heard nothing of the sort.

Anyway, I think I've derailed this thread long enough. Let's get back on topic. :)
Reply

Pure
01-26-2006, 10:30 PM
1421: The Year a Chinese Muslim Discovered America


The British submarine engineer and historian Gavin Menzies gave an astounding seminar on March 15, 2002 to the Royal Geographical Society in London, with evidence to support his theory that Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim navigator in the Ming dynasty, beat Columbus by more than 70 years in discovering America.

Using evidence from maps drawn dated before Columbus' trip that clearly showed America, and astronomical maps traced back to Zheng He's time, Menzies is confident that the Zheng He should be honored as the first discoverer of America.

Menzies's conclusion is based on 14 years of research that includes secret maps, evidence of artifacts, and apparent proof of the voyage provided by the modern astronomy software program Starry Night.

As key evidence for a voyage that will remake history, Menzies says he obtained ancient Chinese navigation charts associated with the travels of Zheng He. The journey ran from 1421 to 1423. Menzies maintains that the ships sailed around the Southern tips of both Africa and South America.

"I set Starry Night up for dates in 1421 for parts of the world where I thought the Chinese had sailed," explained Menzies, a navigation expert and former Royal Navy submarine commander. He found that in two separate locations of the voyage, easily recognizable stars were directly above Zheng He's fleet.

Those stars have since moved, due to changes in Earth's orientation in space. Earth's spin is slightly imperfect, and its axis carves a circle on the sky every 26,000 years. The phenomenon, called precession, means that each pole points to different stars as time progresses. Menzies used the software program to recreate the sky as it would have looked in 1421.

"I had Chinese star charts, and I needed to date the charts," he said. "By an incredible bit of luck, one of the courses they steered, between Sumatra and Dondra Head, Ceylon, was due west."

This part of the journey was very near the equator in the Indian Ocean. Both Polaris, the North Star, and the bright southern star Canopus, which was very nearly above the celestial south pole, were on the charts. "From that I was able to determine the apparent shift of Polaris (due to precession). I could therefore date the chart to 1421, plus or minus 30 years."

Phillip Sadler, a celestial navigation expert at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, says the estimation of a map's age based on star positions is possible. He said an estimate within 30 years, as Menzies claims, is possible.


References:

1. http://www.1421.tv/

2. http://www.space.com/

3. http://www.chinapage.com/

Source: (read the next 2 exciting parts) http://www.islamicity.com/articles/a...C0301-1843&p=1
Reply

Tasneem
01-26-2006, 10:35 PM
MashAllah very informative topic

SaLaMz
Reply

mahdisoldier19
01-28-2006, 01:06 AM
Al Hamdullah
Reply

Islamicboy
01-28-2006, 01:12 AM
Very Interesting Information
Reply

`Abd al-Azeez
09-08-2006, 12:53 AM
:sl:

Interesting read:

__________________________________________________ ____________

1421: The Year a Chinese Muslim Discovered America

The British submarine engineer and historian Gavin Menzies gave an astounding seminar on March 15, 2002 to the Royal Geographical Society in London, with evidence to support his theory that Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim navigator in the Ming dynasty, beat Columbus by more than 70 years in discovering America.

Using evidence from maps drawn dated before Columbus' trip that clearly showed America, and astronomical maps traced back to Zheng He's time, Menzies is confident that the Zheng He should be honored as the first discoverer of America.

Menzies's conclusion is based on 14 years of research that includes secret maps, evidence of artifacts, and apparent proof of the voyage provided by the modern astronomy software program Starry Night.

As key evidence for a voyage that will remake history, Menzies says he obtained ancient Chinese navigation charts associated with the travels of Zheng He. The journey ran from 1421 to 1423. Menzies maintains that the ships sailed around the Southern tips of both Africa and South America.

"I set Starry Night up for dates in 1421 for parts of the world where I thought the Chinese had sailed," explained Menzies, a navigation expert and former Royal Navy submarine commander. He found that in two separate locations of the voyage, easily recognizable stars were directly above Zheng He's fleet.

Those stars have since moved, due to changes in Earth's orientation in space. Earth's spin is slightly imperfect, and its axis carves a circle on the sky every 26,000 years. The phenomenon, called precession, means that each pole points to different stars as time progresses. Menzies used the software program to recreate the sky as it would have looked in 1421.

"I had Chinese star charts, and I needed to date the charts," he said. "By an incredible bit of luck, one of the courses they steered, between Sumatra and Dondra Head, Ceylon, was due west."

This part of the journey was very near the equator in the Indian Ocean. Both Polaris, the North Star, and the bright southern star Canopus, which was very nearly above the celestial south pole, were on the charts. "From that I was able to determine the apparent shift of Polaris (due to precession). I could therefore date the chart to 1421, plus or minus 30 years."

Phillip Sadler, a celestial navigation expert at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, says the estimation of a map's age based on star positions is possible. He said an estimate within 30 years, as Menzies claims, is possible.


Rest of the article:

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/A...ef=IC0301-1843

:w:
Reply

Keltoi
09-08-2006, 03:09 AM
lol...we Native Americans always find the phrase "Discovered America" fairly amusing.
Reply

north_malaysian
09-08-2006, 06:50 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by `Abd al-Azeez
:sl:

Interesting read:

__________________________________________________ ____________

1421: The Year a Chinese Muslim Discovered America

The British submarine engineer and historian Gavin Menzies gave an astounding seminar on March 15, 2002 to the Royal Geographical Society in London, with evidence to support his theory that Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim navigator in the Ming dynasty, beat Columbus by more than 70 years in discovering America.

Using evidence from maps drawn dated before Columbus' trip that clearly showed America, and astronomical maps traced back to Zheng He's time, Menzies is confident that the Zheng He should be honored as the first discoverer of America.

Menzies's conclusion is based on 14 years of research that includes secret maps, evidence of artifacts, and apparent proof of the voyage provided by the modern astronomy software program Starry Night.

As key evidence for a voyage that will remake history, Menzies says he obtained ancient Chinese navigation charts associated with the travels of Zheng He. The journey ran from 1421 to 1423. Menzies maintains that the ships sailed around the Southern tips of both Africa and South America.

"I set Starry Night up for dates in 1421 for parts of the world where I thought the Chinese had sailed," explained Menzies, a navigation expert and former Royal Navy submarine commander. He found that in two separate locations of the voyage, easily recognizable stars were directly above Zheng He's fleet.

Those stars have since moved, due to changes in Earth's orientation in space. Earth's spin is slightly imperfect, and its axis carves a circle on the sky every 26,000 years. The phenomenon, called precession, means that each pole points to different stars as time progresses. Menzies used the software program to recreate the sky as it would have looked in 1421.

"I had Chinese star charts, and I needed to date the charts," he said. "By an incredible bit of luck, one of the courses they steered, between Sumatra and Dondra Head, Ceylon, was due west."

This part of the journey was very near the equator in the Indian Ocean. Both Polaris, the North Star, and the bright southern star Canopus, which was very nearly above the celestial south pole, were on the charts. "From that I was able to determine the apparent shift of Polaris (due to precession). I could therefore date the chart to 1421, plus or minus 30 years."

Phillip Sadler, a celestial navigation expert at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, says the estimation of a map's age based on star positions is possible. He said an estimate within 30 years, as Menzies claims, is possible.


Rest of the article:

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/A...ef=IC0301-1843

:w:
You should watch the documentary on it... interesting!!!

There are mosques named after him in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Reply

Muezzin
09-08-2006, 10:30 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Keltoi
lol...we Native Americans always find the phrase "Discovered America" fairly amusing.
Heh. It's kind of like the phrase 'Discovered gravity' - as if it didn't exist before :p

Also, this has been discussed before so I merged the threads. Please run a quick search before posting a new topic, ta.
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