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

THE SOONG SISTERS (sometimes spelled SONG)

THE EXTRAORDINARY AND FABULOUS DESTINY OF THE SONG SISTERS.

By marrying men of political distinction and adhering to their own political pursuits, the Song sisters— who included AILING (1890-1973), QINGLING (1892-1981) and MEILING (BORN 1897- 2003) Song— participated in Chinese political activities and were destined to play key roles in Chinese modern history. In childhood, Ailing was known as a tomboy, smart and ebullient; Qingling was thought a pretty girl, quiet and pensive; and Meiling was considered a plump child, charming and headstrong.

The three Song sisters - American educated - Wesley College.

FATHER & MOTHER

Charlie Song and Guizhen Ni had three daughters and three sons, all of whom received American educations at their father's encouragement. Though dissimilar political beliefs led the Song sisters down different paths, each exerted influence both on Chinese and international politics; indeed, MEILING'S INFLUENCE IN AMERICA WAS PARTICULARLY GREAT.

Charlie & Mamie SONG - the parents of the three sisters.

Sufficient to say that the men the three sisters married were instrumental in the modern history of China, and its international politics. According to their deeply entrenched & different political belief, each was truly in every sense of the words, the “grey eminence”, the operator not behind the scene, but at the forefront. They exerted an unbelievable influence as power brokers. There are many books & articles written about the SONG sisters' fabulous destiny. Hereunder is only one of them.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1T4LENN_en___CA509&biw=1093&bih=453&q=soong+sisters+descendants&revid=2054564798&sa=X&ved=0CHEQ1QIoAGoVChMIlpLyveWxxwIVEgeSCh2AhgWf

 Eldest Sister (died aged 83)

 SOONG AI-LING, OR ELING SOONG was the eldest of the Soong sisters and the wife of H. H. Kung, Finance Minister of the Chinese Republic, later Prime Minister. He met in an official capacity with most of the world's leaders in the 30's (Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, others. He was also a banker and was the richest man in the early 20th century Republic of China. AI-LING's descendants live in the US and are multi-millionaires. Here is Picture of Ailing Song with husband H.H. Kung.

 Middle Sister (died aged 89)

SOONG CHING-LING OR SONG QINGLING was the second wife of Sun Yat-sen, leader of the 1911 revolution that established the Republic of China, and was often referred to as Madame Sun Yat-sen. See below picture of her flanked by Mao Zhe Dung and Chou En Lai. She became joint President of the People's Republic of China with Dong Biwu from 1968 to 1972 and Honorary President in 1981, just before her death.

Young QINGLING - excellent student - intellectual and committed.

 
Youngest Sister (died age 106) 

SOONG MAY-LING OR SOONG MEI-LING, also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek or Madame Chiang, was a First Lady of the Republic of China, the wife of Generalissimo and President Chiang Kai-shek who spoke no English.

IN 1950, she tried to regain her influence by making a trip to the US, but Washington was cooling on the Chiang regime, finally recognizing its inefficiency and corruption, and Roosevelt's successor, Harry Truman, refused to receive her at the White House.

 MEI-LING AGAIN          

Here is a Picture of Mailing Song sitting with husband Chiang Kai-Chek, President Roosevelt and Churchill at Cairo Conference 1943. She continuously interrupted the interpreter to give the correct translation.

Mei-ling Soong, aka Madame Chiang Kai-shek aka the Last empress once famous round the world as the beautiful and extremely powerful Dragon Lady wife of China's autocratic ruler, lived the last years of her life in seclusion in a large apartment overlooking Gracie Park on the Upper East Side before dying on October 23 at the age of 106. The seclusion was not simply a matter of age and health. The Kuomintang Nationalist party, which had ruled the island of Taiwan after she and her husband fled there from mainland China in 1949, is trying to reinvent itself as a modern democratic party, and had no wish for this figure from its authoritarian past to emerge from the shadows.

MEI-LING with Eleanor Roosevelt

From then on, it was a downhill path that stretched over six decades as Chiang was forced out of mainland China and Mei-ling lost out in power struggles in Taiwan after his death in 1975. But, for a time in the early 1940s, she had been the most powerful woman on earth, and could dream of ruling the world with an American consort.


MORE PHOTOS                             
                                                             
QINGLING - Madame Sun Yat Sen on the cover of Time Magazine

QINGLING between Mao Zhe Dung & Chou En lai

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Later the three sisters united  in the garden of a villa.

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HISTORY’S JUDGEMENT

From humble beginnings, the Soong family rose to become the single most influential family in Shanghai, with ramifications across the globe in the area of politics and economics. Their true history has only recently been recorded, as the layers of scandal and intrigue slowly peel away. With a couple of notable exceptions, they were notorious in their corruption and their links to underworld crime – a true Shanghai legend.

The EXCEPTION WAS QUINGLING, the middle sister, the wife of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the father of the Chinese Republic and First President.

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“THEY’RE ALL THIEVES, EVERY DAMN’ ONE OF THEM” - President Truman

“ONE LOVED MONEY, ONE LOVED POWER AND ONE LOVED CHINA” - Modern Chinese saying, referring to the Soong sisters.

JOHN DEAN - THE FORGOTTEN HONORABLE MAN

There are very few men - dead or alive - I have admired. Those I have all shared & showed a COMPULSION, not a desire mind you, but a compulsion for acting with COURAGE, REASON, HONOR & TRUTH. One such man was an American President's Counsel who single handedly brought down the Nixon Administration in 1973, when he realized he was associated with a nest of conscious less Republican vipers. Thanks to him and to circuit Judge Sirica, the light of US democracy shone again, however briefly. A few years later, it has dimmed since; perhaps never to shine again.

 

John Dean - THE FORGOTTEN HONORABLE MAN

Counsel to President Nixon, John W. Dean III became famous as the first White House official to accuse the president of direct involvement in the Watergate cover-up. In dramatic testimony before the Senate Watergate Committee in June 1973, the boyish-looking Dean recounted telling Nixon that the cover-up had become a "cancer on the presidency." He implicated many administration officials, including him, in efforts to block investigation of the burglars' connections to the White House. Dean was later charged with obstruction of justice and spent four months in prison. Since then, he has relentlessly & eloquently denounced the abuse of power by the EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT. His latest book deals with the corrupt tandem BUSCH-CHENEY.

John Dean then - giving testimony. He has written many books exposing the abuse of power by the occupants of the White House and calling for a return to HONESTY, TRUTH & HONOR among high civil servants.

 

Hereunder is his 2004 book entitled:

“Worse than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush”

 “Worse than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush” is a 2004 book by author and Watergate figure John W. Dean. With the perspective of a former Republican political insider, and experience in the Watergate scandal when he was White House counsel to Nixon, Dean takes a sincere, well-considered look at how conservative politics in the U.S. is veering dangerously close to authoritarianism, offering a penetrating and highly disturbing portrait of many of the major players in Republican politics and power. Looking back on the development of conservative politics in the U.S., Dean notes that CONSERVATISM IS REGRESSING TO ITS AUTHORITARIAN ROOTS. Dean draws on five decades of social science research that details the personality traits of what are called "double high authoritarians": SELF-RIGHTEOUS, MEAN-SPIRITED, AMORAL, MANIPULATIVE, BULLYING. He concludes that Chuck Colson, Pat Robertson, Newt Gingrich, and Tom DeLay are all textbook examples.

>When I read the book in 2005, I found it fascinating as it confirms then my own suspicions of what America has or will soon become i.e. an authoritarian nation with a docile, obedient right-wing Congress, A NATION ADRIFT LOSING ITS REPUBLICAN IDEALS.

THE FRANKESTEIN TANDEM – BUSCH & CHENEY

Dean calls Vice-President Cheney "the architect of Bush's authoritarian policies," and deems Bush "a mental lightweight with a strong right-wing authoritarian personality." Dean maintained that conservatives without conscience have produced such a hostile, no collegial environment in Congress that threats of resistance through filibusters have been met with threats of a "nuclear option" and that conservatives have used fear mongering about terrorist attacks to the point where the nation faces a greater threat of relinquishing its ideals of democracy. Dean appeals to conservatives to find their consciences and to all Americans to take serious heed of what is going on in the nation. Readers of all political perspectives will find this book riveting. Dean criticizes the secrecy employed by US President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, depriving citizens of the ability to make informed decisions, and draws parallels with the government of US President Richard Nixon. He also draws attention to potentially serious issues that, as of 2004, had been given a low profile in the US media. He proved to be prophetic, as the media has lost its rightful investigative prerogative, due to the repeated threats (demotion, firing, even death threats of journalists & political columnists) by the Busch administration.
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TWO PRESIDENTS (AFTER NIXON) SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED, both like NIXON were also REPUBLICANS.

Ronald Reagan (the Iran-Contra). President Reagan spent 3 days in a daze walking the white House in pajamas so convinced was he of impending impeachment. Lt. Col. Oliver North saved him when he asserted that the funds from arms sales to Iran were indeed funneled to the CONTRAS in Nicaragua without President Reagan knowledge. He was of course lying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Georges Busch (the 18 March 2003 presidential determination). It was a condition of the legislation which authorized the 2003 invasion of Iraq; however it failed to satisfy the terms imposed by Congress and consequently would justify impeachment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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OBAMA & THE CONTINUOUS COVER UP OF ISRAEL NUCLEAR ARSENAL

Mr. Obama, like his predecessors, pretends that he doesn’t know anything about Israel's nuclear arsenal. This taboo impedes discussions within Washington and internationally. What sustains this pretense is the myth that America is locked into covering up Israeli nuclear bombs because of a 1969 agreement between President Richard M. Nixon and Israel’s prime minister, Golda Meir. For Mr. Nixon, it was mainly about gaining Israeli support in the cold war. He and Mrs. Meir understood the need to discourage the Soviets from providing their Arab allies with nuclear weapons. A declared Israeli nuclear arsenal would have led to pressure for Moscow to do so.

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But such cold war reasons for America to stay mum evaporated decades ago. Everyone knows the Israelis have nuclear bombs. The issue is always vetoed by the US, when it comes at the UN.

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POST SCRIPTUM

Dean went on to write many books on the abuse of power by the White House, including two memoirs of the Watergate scandal, "Blind Ambition" and "Lost Honor," as well as a book on Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

Dean is now 77 and he currently lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he works as a writer, lecturer, and private investment banker.

                             Two of his books: