Australia in Muslim Discovery: Historical Rediscovering of Australia by non-Muslims and Muslims

The challenge of the 'discovering of Australia' is associated with Australia over the course of centuries, even from ancient times. However, little is known, or has been forgotten about the sophisticated historical era in which the Muslim seafarers of different backgrounds participated in the re-discovery of Australia and cultural-religious interaction. This scholarship for the first time brings much significant and interesting information, from a wide range or sources, revealing the early Muslim exploration of Australia and an Islamic contribution to the riches of the early Australian multireligious history. The periods of history span from the 8th to the 15th century, expanding until the beginning of the 20th century. The book documents that Australia was re-discovered by the medieval Arab and Persian scholars in 820 and 934. The book explores the evidence for the continuous visits to Australia, over the course of centuries, by different Muslim ethnicities such as Zanggi, Baijini, Omani, Indian, Chinese, Malay and Indonesian prior to the 15th century. The range of evidence of the Muslim discovery of Australia includes Islamic maps, Muslim astrological measures and remarks, their adventuring and trading, a variety of cultural-religious interactions, richness of etymology, exchanging of ideas, skills and experiences as well as Aboriginal painting. Thus, transoceanic seafaring, firstly from Arabia, Africa, Canton and India, then to Malaysia and the Indonesian Archipelago along with the Spice Route to the Spice Islands, then to New Guinea and Australia, in the period of the 8th century to the end of 15th century, in a variety of ways, confirms the great contribution of the early Muslims in this part of the world and in Australian history. This book reveals the important but unknown dimension: that the 'Muslim discovery of Australia' occurred at the same times when Islam appeared among in the world's many regions.