Abstract

What’s exciting in the subject of building of commercial ships in the Middle Age is that big difference between the ships that were built in the Mediterranean and those built in the Indian Ocean. - While wooden blocks were linked in the first by metal nails, they were linked in the second by cords nd ropes. This phenomenon has attracted the attention ancient geographers and historians and modern scholar. A lot has been presented to account for it. These opinions diversed between mythical and improvised interpretation to the analysis depending on observation. Some of the opinions thought of the phenomena on purely economical basis, whereas others just presented descriptions, neglecting the reasons behind it. The present research paper aims at raising the topic through an exposition and analysis of those opinions forwarded by famous geographers like Masoudi, ldrisi, Kizwini, lbn Jupair, Maren polo and lbn Batota. lt also discusses some of the interpretations presents by modern scholars to account for this phenomenon