The Malay World in the Medieval European Imagination: the Case of Ludovico Di Varthema’S Travel Accounts on the Malay World
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THE MALAY WORLD IN THE MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN IMAGINATION: THE CASE OF LUDOVICO DI VARTHEMA’S TRAVEL ACCOUNTS ON THE MALAY WORLD BY ZULKIFLI BIN ISHAK A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (History and Civilization) Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia August 2009 ABSTRACT Throughout the medieval period of the European history, images of the Malay World were constantly portrayed in the accounts of the medieval European travelers. These descriptions which are predominantly concerned with the people, geography and th traditions of the region were recorded to have existed as early as the 13 century. In th the first quarter of the 16 century, a Bolognese, Ludovico di Varthema produced descriptions of his travels which includes his journey to the Malay World between the years 1504 and 1505 C.E. His travel experience was first published in Italy in 1510 C.E. This study analyses the contents of the medieval European travelers’ accounts on the Malay World; with particular reference to Varthema’s travel accounts entitled Itinerario. It focuses on the factors that reflected Varthema’s apprehension in constructing pictures of the society and civilization of the Malay World. Finally, this study argues that the medieval European travelers’ accounts that were produced in constructing the images of the Malay World were written in accordance to the standard cliché of the medieval travel writings that was practiced in the course of the medieval period where it involved the influences of the classical Greco-Roman and the biblical traditions. In turn, this study attempt to raise questions on the authenticity and reliability of the medieval European travelers’ accounts as a source of information since they were not produced based on the first-hand travelers’ experience, rather, it was merely a mental designation of the authors of the travel accounts in fashioning and imagining the images of the Malay World. ii ّ ا ! ! ا ار ا اورو ا ر ا ار" اورو . و! اآ1 +ر) او 0 ا/-ن، ا%+، إ* إ )'ا ا&%، # - ا 6ر 0 8ت ! د إ +ات ا%ن ا6# 5 ادي. ا: اول ا%ن ا/دس 5 ادي، +م ا=1ي دو - دي ر6 و@? ?ر< و ا !A رB0 إ ا 1504 م و 1505م، و! =5 رB0 ول ة م 1510 م. !M+ف هJ< ا+را إ !0I = ص ا اور إ ا، : اآN -5 1ص 0 ر0 ر6 و ا و إ!&ار. و!آ1 0 ا ا ا ! -O0 P ر6 !آQ @رة ا8: و اAIرة ا. و اRم، !Iول ا+را &5 أن MTدات ا اور ا ر ا ا =S8 ! ر ا آS و % 0-50 ا% ا/08 رت ا%ون ا، وا !VWت %+ ا== – او= ا--، وا%+ اX=08.!%م هJ< ا+را Iو VXرة أ]! 0 O0 +ى أ@ هJ< اM5دات و إ أ در) - اVق M آ +ر 0 0ت N@ أن هJ< اM5دات ! + 0 اRة اR@ 0 وإ= 0 اRت ا %0 \? هJ< ات !5- و !R @ر ا. iii APPROVAL PAGE I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (History and Civilization). ..................................................... Ataullah Bogdan Kopanski Supervisor I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (History and Civilization). ..................................................... Hafiz Zakariya Examiner This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Economics and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (History and Civilization). ..................................................... Wan Suhana Wan Sulong Head, Department of History and Civilization This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (History and Civilization). ..................................................... Hazizan Md. Noon Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences iv DECLARATION I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references and a bibliography is appended. Zulkifli Ishak Signature ………….………….……… Date …………....………..………. v INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH Copyright @ 2009 by Zulkifli Ishak. All rights reserved. THE MALAY WORLD IN THE MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN IMAGINATION: THE CASE OF LUDOVICO DI VARTHEMA’S TRAVEL ACCOUNTS ON THE MALAY WORLD. No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below. 1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement 2. The IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purpose 3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries. Affirmed by Zulkifli Ishak. ……………………….. …………..……….. Signature Date vi DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MY LATE MOTHER: Saniyah Abdul Hamid th th [28 June 1950 – 24 December 2006] ‘A Son Never Forget’ vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, praise be to the Almighty Allah s.w.t. for His Wisdom, His ultimate guidance and assistance in helping me to accomplish this research. I owe my supervisor, Professor Ataullah Bogdan Kopanski a debt of gratitude for his fruitful consultations, his assistance and guidance which led to the accomplishment of my writing. I am also indebted to the Department of History and Civilization, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) with special gratitude to Dr. Hafiz Zakariya. Also to Professor Ahmed Ibrahim Abu Shouk, Dr. Wan Suhana Wan Sulong, Dr. Abdul Rahman Tang Abdullah, Dr. Ahmed Elyas Hussein and Dr. Arshad Islam for their wise counsel and suggestion. Above all, to each and everyone among lecturers, colleagues, and staffs which were affiliated to this department. It is my pleasure to dedicate this work to my late mother, Saniyah Abdul Hamid, who inspired me a lot and instilled the spirit of perseverance in my struggle to face any trial; she made all this possible. I am grateful to the staffs of the following institutions which provided me with assistance; Library of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), National Library of Malaysia, National Archives of Malaysia, Malaysian Historical Society (Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia), IfLA of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), English Language Department of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Also, sincere thanks goes to these peoples; My father Mr. Ishak Mohd Yusop, brother Khairul Nizam, sisters Noor Liza, Suhaila, Rohaidah, Noor Aishah and to all my respectful friends. Special thanks goes to my ex-colleagues in SB-IIS, Madam Noorsaliza Saad, Datin Rohani Ismail, Mr. Rohaizi Rastam, Madam Marziyana, and the rest whom I gained a great moment and experience. Along to my colleagues in Curatorial Affairs Department, Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM), Mr. Lucien de Guise, Madam Rosmahwati Ahmad Zakaria, Adline Abdul Ghani, Nurul Iman Rusli, Juliana Abdul Rahim, Assim Zuhair Qisho, Badriya Yasmeen Dowe and Alhan T. Najim. Finally, to each and every person I’ve known, thanks for everything. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract…………………………………………………………………......…...… ii Abstract in Arabic……………………………………………..………...........…… iii Approval Page ……………………………………………………..…….......……. iv Declaration Page………………………………………....………..………...…….. v Copyright Page………………………………………...………….....……………. vi Dedication………………………………………....…………..…...…...….……… vii Acknowledgements………………………………….....…….…...……….……… viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY AND METHODOLOGY.... 1 1.1 Background of the Study……………………………………….…...… 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem……………………………………………... 3 1.3 Significance of the Study………………………………………...…… 4 1.4 Literature Review…………………………………………..…………. 5 1.5 Research Methodology…………………………………...…………… 13 1.6 Chapterization of the Study…………………………….……………... 14 CHAPTER TWO: THE MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN QUEST FOR THE REGION OF THE MALAY WORLD 16 2.1 The European Geographical Horizon on the Far-Eastern region……... 17 2.2 Medieval European Imagio Mundi (Image of the World)……..……… 22 2.3 Taprobane: The Farthest Inhabited Landmass of the Eastern Continent. 25 CHAPTER THREE: WHO IS LUDOVICO DI VARTHEMA?............................. 30 3.1 Ludovico di Varthema: Biography and his Travels…………………... 31 3.2 Varthema’s Travel Account: Itinerario………………….…………… 33 3.3 Varthema: Motives of his Travel……………………………………... 35 3.4 Varthema Becomes a “Muslim”……………………………………… 37 3.5 Varthema: A Soldier/Artilleryman…………………………………… 40 3.6 Varthema: The Physician………………………………………...…… 41 3.7 Varthema: As a Portuguese Comrade………………………………… 43 3.8 Varthema: The Father of Several Children…………………………… 46 3.9 Did Varthema Exist?............................................................................. 47 CHAPTER FOUR: THE MALAY WORLD DURING EUROPEAN’S MIDDLE AGES: A CONSTRUCTION OF ITS IMAGES BY LUDOVICO DI VARTHEMA……………………………………………………………………... 49 4.1. The Malay World: People………………………..……………………