Much of Menzies’ claims are based on the Piri Reis map, drawn by a Turkish admiral in 1512. The best rock with inscriptions has been photographed. Unfortunately, red sandstone is unknown on the islands. He simply mentions them and then moves on to ancient maps. Menzies then claims that the Chinese carved these Malayalam inscriptions, which he never translates for us. Interestingly enough he does not provide us with any copies of his photographs, or even line drawings of the inscriptions, which he claims are in the Malayalam language (a language spoken by millions of people in south India). So what evidence to we have that the treasure fleets sailed around the world? Menzies pieces together many types of evidence, but do they stand up to scrutiny? Let’s examines some.įirst, Menzies claims on page 103 that there are inscriptions on a large red sandstone rock some 3 meters high, standing on the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic, which he photographed. Most scholars believe that the fleet of treasure ships commissioned by Chinese Emperor Zhu Di sailed only in the Indian Ocean and South China Seas. Although scholars of Chinese history have long known of Admiral Zheng He’s voyages, Menzies is the first person to claim that the Chinese sailed around the whole world. In 520 pages, Menzies puts together a fantastic account of seven incredible voyages. This book puts forward the claim that Chinese admirals traveled around the world visiting every corner of the globe in 1421.
Book Review: 1421, The Year China Discovered the World, by Gavin Menzies, Bantam Press, 2002
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