Indian Ocean pilotage

Ahmad ibn Mājid · 1498 CE · Earth

Indian Ocean pilotage — Ahmad ibn Mājid · 1498 CE · Earth — Recorded expedition route · schematic map

Pilot a fleet across the Arabian Sea to India.

Historical context

Arab navigators had sailed the Indian Ocean for centuries using the monsoon, the stars and written route guides. In 1498 their knowledge carried the first Portuguese fleet across to India.

The voyage, step by step

  1. Pilot from East Africa

    1498 CE

    A pilot of Ibn Mājid's tradition joins the Portuguese fleet on the Swahili coast.

  2. Leaving the African coast

    24 April 1498

    On 24 April the ships stand out from the land on a heading the pilot will not change for three weeks.

  3. Out of sight of land

    1498 CE

    For most of a month there is nothing to steer by but wind, swell and the night sky.

  4. Reading the Pole Star

    1498 CE

    Each night the pilot measures the Pole Star against the horizon and holds the fleet on its latitude.

  5. Riding the monsoon

    1498 CE

    Using the monsoon winds, the pilot carries the fleet across the Arabian Sea.

  6. Landfall at Calicut

    1498 CE

    The fleet reaches India, guided by knowledge Europe did not possess.

Outcome

Guided the crossing from East Africa to Calicut.

Ahmad ibn Mājid

Arab navigator of the Indian Ocean whose pilots guided Vasco da Gama across the Arabian Sea to India.

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Sources

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