CHAMPA AND THE ISLAMIC WORLD, 7TH - 15TH CENTURIES

Abstract

Based on primary sources written in Persian and Arabic, this thesis is a study of Islamic worldviews related to Champa and contacts between the latter and the Islamic World. I analyze these sources alongside inscriptions from Champa; Vietnamese, and Chinese annals and archaeological discoveries. The heightened desires for luxuries, spices, aromatics and the connectedness of the Indian Ocean encouraged sailors and merchants who helped to connect ports and expand the geographical horizons of their respective cultures. Such voyages led to the development of geographical literature and knowledge of distant lands and revealed related information, including the availability of drinking water, precious goods, and dangers at sea, such as hidden rocks, storms, strong waves, and piracy. At the same time, these sources also reflect the compiling paradigms of Islamic works, their limitations, and confusions, such as displacement of toponyms, delay of time, or mixing of information of different places and periods.