Al-Ramhormuzi

Buzurg Ibn Shahriyar of Ramhormuz, was a Muslim traveler, sailor, cartographer and geographer. He was born in the Khuzistan in Persia. On the year 953 he had completed a collection of narratives from Muslim sailors based in Siraf, Oman, Basra and elsewhere.^[1]

In his works he mentions how Muslim seafarers traveled to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and East Africa. He mentions various links between the Abbasid Caliphate and Tang dynasty, China.

Narrative

Conversion of the Raja of Ra

According to the narrative of Abu Muhammad al-Hassan Hammawiyah al-Najiramy, a Raja of India named Mahruk son of Raiq of Ra lived in a country between upper and lower Kashmir requested a copy of the Quran from the Muslim Amir of Mansura (Brahmanabad), Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. The ruler had secretly converted to Islam and requested the Muslim envoy to stay in his court for 3 years and paid 600 mann of Gold on three occasions.

Andaman Islands

The Persian navigator Al-Ramhormuzi, in his 10th century book Ajaib al-Hind (The wonders of India) described the islands as being inhabited by fierce cannibalistic tribes. The book also mentions an island he called Andaman al-Kabir (Great Andaman).^[2][3]

References