International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Arabic lecturer Dr Solehah Yaacob has doubled down on her claim that the Romans learned shipbuilding from the Malays, saying it was based on years of research.
In a statement yesterday, Solehah said her hypothesis was supported by multiple references and historical interpretations.
“According to my research, I believe the first major maritime voyage in human history occurred during Prophet Noah’s time, spanning vast regions of the world.
“The British theologian Thomas Brightwell argued that the Malays were a distinct race emerging after the Great Flood and among the earliest maritime navigators,” she said.
Solehah said her findings were further reinforced by works of Richard L. Smith and Pierre-Yves Manguin, and claimed that the Romans did not engage in advanced seafaring until after 31 BCE.
She also linked Rome’s quest for quality iron to Arabic texts referencing al-Qal’a, identified with ancient Kedah, suggesting it was a possible source of superior iron used by the Romans.
While acknowledging that she could not establish how such a transfer of maritime knowledge might have occurred, she speculated it may have involved navigators from Egypt, India or the Malay world.
Her claim, however, has been widely disputed. Historians note that Roman maritime history is well documented through records, mosaics and shipwrecks, and that Roman and Malay ship designs differ significantly — Roman galleys were narrow and oar-driven, while Malay vessels were broader and used sewn-plank joints.
Adding to the controversy, a Reddit post recently resurfaced Solehah’s 2018 paper published in Universiti Malaya’s Jurnal Al-Tamaddun, which cited a satirical article from The Onion as fact.
IIUM has since described Solehah’s latest Roman-Malay claim as “misleading.”
