An article published on June 8, 2026, highlights the extensive contributions of medieval Muslim civilization to maritime technology and navigation. It explains how Arab and Persian sailors, astronomers, and engineers advanced shipbuilding, direction-finding, and cartography, creating tools such as the magnetic compass, astrolabe, and detailed sea charts that made long voyages safer and more efficient.

The piece describes how Muslim dominance over the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Mediterranean from the seventh to fifteenth centuries was supported by superior nautical knowledge and ship design, including the triangular lateen sail used on dhows. Muslim geographers like Al-Idrisi, Ibn Majid, and Al-Biruni produced precise maps and guides that served both scientific and navigational purposes. The article also notes the military applications of these technologies under the Abbasid and Fatimid caliphates, which built powerful naval fleets and bases.

It concludes that Muslim maritime innovations laid the scientific and practical foundations for later European exploration, influencing Renaissance-era navigation and shipbuilding techniques.