THE TREASURE OF THE ARAB DHOW SUNK CIRCA 835

INTRODUCTION

Look carefully at this map, during the reign of Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (Arabic: الوليد بن عبد الملك ابن مروان‎, romanized: al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān; circa 674 – 23 February 715), commonly known as al-Walid I (Arabic: الوليد الأول‎), was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death

It shows 3 colors: 

BLUE = Islamic world under Umayyad 715
YELLOW = Christian world 715
Green = Pagan world 715










 Umayyad warriors in 715


Al Walid I is till considered as one of the greatest warrior generals who ever lived.

  35 years later, The ABBASSID overthrew the Umayyad in 750 and starting their long reign until it was destroyed by the Mongols in1258

During the period of the ABBASSID CALIPHATE when the “Prince of the Faithful’, the MIGHTY CALIPH – Al Mutassim I - ruled an empire which stretched from North Africa to Afghanistan, an area about 11.5 million square kilometers. It was a time when Baghdad had the first modern university, school of translation, public libraries, 18 miles of lighted streets, patrolled by the Caliph’s guards; a time when LONDON & PARIS WERE NO MORE THAN MUDDY VILLAGES (not even hamlets yet), a time when Baghdad was one of the two civilized center of the world; the other arguably being Byzantium.


Abbasid Caliphate at its greatest extent, c. 850. The capital city of Baghdad became a center of science, culture, philosophy and invention during the Golden Age of Islam.


 

ABBASSID WARRIORS 9th century

 Beginning of Islamic Golden Age

 







Abbassid Manuscripts                                          

  

 Noah 10th century Story of creation manuscript













Photo of Golden Coin of the Abbassid

                           

 Beautiful picture of Arab Dhow sailing the oceans









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The Belitung shipwreck also called the Tang shipwreck or Batu Hitam shipwreck, is the wreck of an ARABIAN DHOW WHICH SAILED A ROUTE FROM AFRICA TO CHINA AROUND 830 AD. 

Dhow, also spelled Dow, one- or two-masted Arab sailing vessel, usually with lateen rigging (slanting, triangular sails), common in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. On the larger types, called baggalas and booms, the mainsail is considerably bigger than the mizzensail. No one knows who originally designed the dhow. Arab merchants and Indian traders used these ships to navigate the coasts of Africa and the Middle East. Their hulls were stitched together and their sails were a triangular (lateen) shape. The dhow was not designed for combat or deep-sea sailing. Its primary uses were fishing and trade, remaining close to shore

Arab Dhow showing crewmen on deck

The ship completed the outward journey but sank on the return journey, approximately 1 mile off the coast of Belitung Island, Indonesia. The dhow was carrying a rich cargo — 60,000 ceramic pieces and an array of gold and silver works — and its discovery has confirmed how significant trade was along a maritime silk road between Tang Dynasty China and Abbasid Iraq. It also has revealed how China was mass-producing trade goods even then and customizing them to suit the tastes of clients in West Asia. "I landed on what looked like an ordinary section of coral reef," MR. WALTERFANG, THE DIVER DISCOVERER, told Germany's Der Spiegel magazine. "But it was actually an underwater mound the size of a small hill that was built almost entirely of tens of thousands of pieces of well preserved ceramic pottery." 

 

The ship’s hold contained some 60,000 pieces, some precious, some commercial, some simply practical, and most of them nicely preserved by their watery tomb. No human remains were found on board — the water is shallow, warm and just a kilometre or so off shore, making escape a not-unlikely outcome for all involved — and the dhow held tight to its bounty for all this time.

Why anyone didn’t come to retrieve its precious things will be forever a mystery, but what it left behind helps give shape to the relationship between two of the dominant dynasties of the time: the TANG IN CHINA AND THE ABBASID EMPIRE, WHICH STRETCHED ACROSS NORTH AFRICA ALL THE WAY EAST INTO MODERN-DAY AFGHANISTAN.

 WALTERFANG's discovery was the second of three wrecks - the third being the Tang - which has turned out to be an undersea treasure trove of such massive historical significance that Shanghai, Singapore and Doha in Qatar are vying with each other to buy the cargo. The 60,000 pieces Mr. WALTERFANG collected from the seabed include porcelain ceramic wine jugs, and tea bowls, embossed golden and silver chalices and plates found to be 1,200 years old.

The treasure was part of a huge cargo of eighth-century porcelain that traders from the Chinese Tang dynasty had put aboard an Arab dhow for export to Malaysia, India and what is now Saudi Arabia. The dhow's remains, found among the treasure, suggest the ship was wrecked on the treacherous underwater reefs of Indonesia's Karimata straits on its outward voyage through the Java sea. The first clues to the age of the treasure were provided by inscription on the bottom of two glazed bowls recovered from the wreck which dated them as being from the "16th day of the seventh month of the second year of the reign of Emperor Yingsong", which established 826 as the date. “The milestone exhibition is a testament to how history and heritage can transcend boundaries and encourage greater cross-cultural understanding,” says chief executive officer of the National Heritage Board, Michael Koh. Singapore is Shipwrecked’s first stop in a world tour expected to conclude in 2015. IT WAS A KNOWN FACT THAT ARAB AND CHINA WERE EXCHANGING GIFTS. HOWEVER DURING THE 9TH CENTURY, CHINA'S TANG DYNASTY WAS PARAMOUNT. This valuable gift going from China to Arabia further increases the importance of this find. Moreover, many of the gold items have matching pairs, raising speculation of a royal wedding in Arabia. Some of the motifs featured on the artefacts suggest the blending of Arabic and Chinese cultures. Whatever the occasion, the value and immaculate quality of these items demonstrate the fortification of peaceful relations between China and Arabia.

The ship carrying the Tang Treasure featured Arabic ship building technology using Indian timber. This coming together of different cultures has redefined the parameters of our maritime knowledge.

The three well-preserved blue-and-white ceramic plates from the Tang Treasure offer physical proof that this ceramic technology started much earlier than generally thought. This find rewrites the boundaries of our knowledge. Once the world learned of Walterfang's discoveries, SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, QATAR AND JAPAN began to vie with each other to buy the cargo. Since 2002 the explorer has been to both Beijing and Shanghai. Nevertheless, his company has not yet struck a bargain with any city or museum.

9th Century Arab Dhow - deck view.

It can hold a crew of 25-35 sailors.

The deck planks are walnut.

 STERN of a Bakhla (Bakkala) bigger Dhow (Crew 40)

 Like the Dhow, the Bakhla was not designed for combat, it was a deep-sea sailing.

 

MORE TREASURE - PHOTOS

Inlaid golden bowl

Ceramic plates each with different design

Plate with blue design

Silver plated cup

Golden snake

Precious stones

Artifacts in museum

NOTA BENE

The Belitung shipwreck was the first Arabian ship to be discovered and excavated. Found by fishermen just off the coast of Indonesia in 1998, it has yielded the richest and largest assortment of early ninth century Tang Dynasty gold and ceramic artifacts ever found–bowls, spice jars, inkwells, funeral urns, crystals, and gilt-silver boxes. Some of the more significant items included pearls from the Gulf, rubies and sapphires, a gold cup (the largest ever found), and a silver flask. After its excavation, the cargo was purchased by the Singaporean Government, which has loaned it indefinitely to the Singapore Tourism Board.

The sea lanes for commerce used in 9th century.

Arab Dhow still used by mariners in the Arabian Gulf.

Dhow, also spelled Dow, one- or two-masted Arab sailing vessel, usually with lateen rigging (slanting, triangular sails), common in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. On the larger types, called baggalas and booms, the mainsail is considerably bigger than the mizzensail. No one knows who originally designed the dhow. Arab merchants and Indian traders used these ships to navigate the coasts of Africa and the Middle East. Their hulls were stitched together and their sails were a triangular (lateen) shape. The dhow was not designed for combat or deep-sea sailing. Its primary uses were fishing and trade, remaining close to shore

Pakistani Modern Dhow