Ahmed bin Majid
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name in Arabic | أحمد بن ماجد |
| Lived | 15th century; estimated about 1421 to 1500 |
| Home | Julfar, Ras Al Khaimah |
| Known as | Master of the Indian Ocean; Lion of the Sea |
Source: Ras Al Khaimah Department of Antiquities and Museums: Ahmed bin Majid; Ras Al Khaimah Department of Antiquities and Museums: Dawn of Islam in Ras Al Khaimah1,2
Julfar
Julfar was the port that gave access from the Arabian Gulf to south-east Arabia, close to the Strait of Hormuz. The Ras Al Khaimah Department of Antiquities and Museums describes it as the birthplace of Ahmed bin Majid; his poems name the city, and his father and grandfather were also sea captains and teachers of navigation.1,2
His dates are estimated from his poems: he describes himself as a skilled captain by 1441, and his last known poem dates from about 1500, after which nothing more is heard of him.1
His writing
Ibn Majid wrote about the stars used to steer, coasts, islands, seasonal winds, tides and safe sea routes, and on finding the direction of Mecca. Of the 41 navigation poems he is known to have written, 24 survive. His main prose work, Kitab al-Fawa'id fi Usul Ilm al-Bahr wa al-Qawa'id, sets out twelve "benefits" on the sea.1
In a lecture at the Sharjah International Book Fair in 2018, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi said that manuscripts he studied show that Ibn Majid was not the pilot who guided Vasco da Gama.3
Sources
- Ras Al Khaimah Department of Antiquities and Museums: Ahmed bin Majid
- Ras Al Khaimah Department of Antiquities and Museums: Dawn of Islam in Ras Al Khaimah
- Emirates News Agency (WAM): Sharjah Ruler refutes fallacies about Ahmed bin Majid (2 November 2018)
Facts checked 22 October 2026. Prepared by Invest-Emirates.ae for general information.