The Importance of the Map
(i) The Structure of the Map
The map is centred upon Ulugh Begh’s great observatory south of Samarkand. (Ulugh Begh was Tamburlaine’s grandson – The Chinese Emperor sent diplomatic missions to Ulugh Begh’s court in 1405 and 1407: Persian and Chinese astronomers and cartographers exchanged information as they had in the days of Kublai Khan and Hulegu.)
(ii) Latitude and longitude
Once the centre of the map is established ((i) above) using Encarta one can position the globe with the same focal point. This reveals that the map is extraordinarily accurate, relative distances from the Azores to China are correct: as are those from Siberia to South Africa and Portugal to Australia. In short, latitude and longitude are correct.
(iii) What the Map shows
It shows precisely what Antonio Galvao claimed – “… It was told me … that in the yeere 1520, Dom Fernando, the King’s sonne and heire did show him a map which was found in the studie of the Alcobaza which had been made 120 yeeres before [viz 1408] which map did set forth all the navigation of the East Indies with the Cape of Boa Esperanca as our later maps have described it: whereby it appeareth that in ancient time there was as much or more discovered than now there is…”
