About the book: 1971 / “This is the India you are looking for!” The great Portuguese poet Camoens put these words into the mouth of the Arab helmsman Ahmad ibn Majid, who led the ships of Vasco da Gama to their cherished goal. The opening of the sea route to India is far from the only thing that the peoples of the West and the East accomplished together. This book tells about the independent contribution of the peoples of the East into the study of our planet, about their active participation in European expeditions.