Khashkhash Ibn Saeed Ibn Aswad facts for kids
Khashkhash ibn Saeed ibn Aswad was a brave Moorish sailor from a place called Al-Andalus (which is now part of Spain). He was born in Pechina. He lived a long time ago, in the 9th century.
A famous Muslim historian named Al-Masudi wrote about Khashkhash. Al-Mas'udi lived from 871 to 957. He said that Khashkhash sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Khashkhash found a new land that no one knew about before. This land was called Arḍ Majhūlah, which means "unknown land."
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The Great Voyage of Khashkhash
In his book called The Meadows of Gold, Al-Mas'udi tells us more. He wrote that Khashkhash ibn Saeed ibn Aswad set sail in the year 889. He started his journey from a town called Delba, which is now Palos de la Frontera in Spain.
Khashkhash sailed far into the Atlantic Ocean. After some time, he came back. His ship was full of valuable treasures. This story was well-known among the people of Al-Andalus at that time.
What Al-Mas'udi Wrote
Al-Mas'udi wrote about the Atlantic Ocean in his book The Book of Golden Meadows (published in 947). He mentioned many interesting things about it. He said that some brave adventurers risked their lives to explore this ocean. Some came back safely, while others were lost.
He specifically wrote about Khashkhash:
In the ocean of fogs (the Atlantic) there are many curiosities which we have mentioned in detail in our Akhbar az-Zaman (News of our Era), on the basis of what we saw there, adventurers who penetrated it on the risk of their life, some returning back safely, others perishing in the attempt. Thus a certain inhabitant of Cordoba, Khashkhash by name, assembled a group of young men, his co-citizens, and went on a voyage on this ocean. After a long time he returned back with booty. Every Spaniard knows this story.
This quote tells us that Khashkhash was from Cordoba. He gathered a group of young men from his city. They went on a long voyage into the ocean. After a while, they returned with many treasures. Al-Mas'udi said that everyone in Spain knew this story.
Different Interpretations of the Story
Some people have looked at Al-Mas'udi's writings differently. An English translation from 1841 by Aloys Sprenger made some authors think that Al-Mas'udi might have seen the story of Khashkhash as just a fun tale, not necessarily a true historical event.
Here is how that translation reads:
Some people consider this sea as the origin of all others. There are some wonderful stories related respecting it, for which we refer the reader to our book the Akhbár ez-zemán; there he will find an account of those crews who have risked their lives in navigating this sea, and who of them have escaped, and who have been shipwrecked, also what they have encountered and seen. Such an adventurer was a Moor of Spain, of the name of Khoshkhash. He was a young man of Cordoba: having assembled some young men they went on board a vessel which they had ready on the ocean, and nobody knew for a long time what had become of them. At length they came back loaded with rich booty. Their history is well known among the people of al-Andalus.
Even with this different translation, the main idea is the same. Khashkhash was a brave explorer from Spain. He sailed into the Atlantic with a group of young men. They returned with valuable goods. The story was very popular among the people of Al-Andalus.
See also
In Spanish: Jashjash ibn Said ibn Asuad para niños
