Seven Seas - in Medieval Arabian Usage and Literature

In Medieval Arabian Usage and Literature

The Arabs and their near neighbours considered the Seven Seas بحار العالم ، سبعة البحار to be the seas that they encountered in their voyages to The East. They were trading routes in ancient times and since the time of the Prophet Mohammed, they are the places where Islam spread and is widely practised.

  • the Persian Gulf — The Sea of Fars (or Pars)
  • the Gulf of Khambhat — The Sea of Larwi (Gujarat, India)
  • the Bay of Bengal — The Sea of Harkand
  • the Strait of Malacca — The Sea of Kalah (Between Sumatra and Malaya)
  • the Singapore Strait — The Sea of Salahit
  • the Gulf of Thailand — The Sea of Kardanj
  • the South China Sea — The Sea of Sanji

Their "Arabian seven seas" بحار العالم ، سبعة البحار must also have considered other important seas nearby which were navigated by Arabian and Phoenician seafarers:

  • the Black Sea
  • the Caspian Sea
  • the Arabian Sea
  • the Indian Ocean
  • the Red Sea
  • the Mediterranean Sea
  • the Adriatic Sea

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