IIUM prof doubles down on 'Romans learned shipbuilding from Malays' claim

The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)'s Arabic language lecturer Solehah Yaacob is standing by her claim that the Romans learned shipbuilding from the Malays.

In a statement yesterday, Solehah decried the ridicule she has faced over her claim.

She defended her assertions, saying it was the result of extensive studies.

"According to my research, I believe that the first major maritime voyage in human history took place during the time of Prophet Noah, a journey that spanned vast regions of the world.

"The British theologian Thomas Brightwell held that the Malays constituted a distinct race emerging after the Great Flood of Prophet Noah, and that this group may have been among the earliest maritime navigators," she said.

Besides Brightwell, Solehah (above) claimed her hypothesis is also supported by references in the works of Richard L Smith and Pierre-Yves Manguin.

She also claimed that the Romans did not engage in advanced seafaring until after 31 BCE.

To strengthen her claims, she drew a link between Romans’ purported search for quality iron, to Arabic texts which she interpreted as saying such iron was found in al-Qal'a or Old Kedah.

Solehah, however, conceded that she doesn't know exactly how a technology transfer between the Malays and Romans could occur.

"While it is difficult to determine exactly how Malay maritime technologies reached the Romans, such a transfer would have required crossing vast oceans.

"Nevertheless, what we know for certain is that the quality of European timber at the time was unsuitable for long-distance oceanic voyages, likely prompting the Romans to seek experienced navigators from Egypt, and possibly from the Indian or Malay worlds, who could guide them toward the source of Qal’a’s iron.

While Solehah cited various sources to support her claim, her academic rigour in evaluating sources has been called into question.

Well-recorded history

On Sunday, a Reddit user highlighted how, in a research paper in 2018, Solehah had cited satirical news website The Onion as fact.

Specifically, she cited a satirical article in which a fictional group of historians claimed they had fabricated the notion of "ancient Greeks".

The paper was published in Universiti Malaya's Jurnal Al-Tamaddun.

Malaysiakini does not have access to the sources that Solehah cited and is unable to independently verify her claims.

History buffs have been quick to point out that Rome's maritime history is well recorded through historical records, mosaics, and shipwrecks.

Dona Amanda, a social media influencer specialising in history, highlights how the design of Roman and Malay ships is also vastly different. The Romans built narrow, oar-propelled ships meant for speed and ramming other ships, while Malay vessels were wide and designed for stability on the open ocean.

Furthermore, Malay ships employed sewn-plank joints, whereas Roman ships utilised the mortise and tenon wood joinery technique.

IIUM had previously described Solehah's Roman-Malay exchange claim as "misleading".

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