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Title: Ship of Sulaiman (Persian Heritage Series, No. 11) by John O'Kane ISBN: 0-231-03654-X Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1972 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $49.00

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Average Customer Rating: 3 (1 review)

Rating: 3
Summary: Jaundiced Persian gaze at 17th century Siam
Comment: Let's face it. How many punters out there are clamoring to read a book written in the literary style of Safavid Persia about a difficult diplomatic mission to Thailand back in 1685-88 ? The answer is not exactly blowing in the wind. When you add countless passages which may have titillated the minds of seventeenth century Persian readers, but which seem quite stilted or corny to those of the globalized early 21st, this book, by a minor official named Muhammad Rabi ibn Muhammad Ibrahim, seems destined to gather dust in large libraries. The Columbia University Persian Heritage Series, which published THE SHIP OF SULAIMAN in 1972, did itself a disservice by not regarding the book as relevant to Southeast Asian Studies as well. Thus, while there are ample footnotes explaining obscure references to Iranian or general Muslim cultural practice or literature, footnotes which give you connections to places, people, and events in Iran, nothing guides the reader to similar knowledge about Siam (Thailand). How accurate are the author's observations ? When he uses Thai terms, are they comprehensible to anyone who knows Thai ? What can we connect to his often-fantastic tales, to his notes on life in monsoon Asia in those days ? Aside from three pages in the preface, not a word.

Still, I found a lot of interest in the story of an unsuccessful Persian mission to the court of Thailand. Though I had read of the Greek favorite of the Siamese king, an adventurer named Phaulkon, I never knew that there had been an Iranian community in the country as well. Apparently, they had considerable pull at the court, but dissipated their advantageous position through internecine quarrels and corruption. Perhaps cultural arrogance also played a role. If you ever wondered if anyone ever approached 19th century European/American missionaries in sheer, pigheaded bigotry and contempt for other cultures, the answer provided here is "yes". "The food of the Siamese...in no way resembles normal, proper foods and the natives are not familiar with intelligent methods of preparing meals. In fact no one in Siam really knows how to cook and eat or even how to sit correctly at table. The Siamese have only recently arrived from the world of bestiality to the realm of humanity."[p.68] The Iranians attend a mosque daily, which the ruler has permitted the community to build, having ordered a temple knocked down to accommodate them. "The preacher mounted the pulpit and in a loud voice cursed and mocked the infidels and idolaters. ......"[p.78] The king, though he did study Islam, "held firmly to the path of ingratitude before his Maker and to this day he continues on the road of ignorance.[p.99] The Siamese Buddhist beliefs are constantly referred to as foolish nonsense and confused doctrines. In addition to the story of his mission, and the truly horrendous sea voyages there and back, the author tries to include as much information as possible about other countries of the East, such as Pegu, Aceh, Japan, China, and the Spanish colony at Manila. Elephants seem to have fascinated him-the capture and taming of wild elephants takes up a lot of space. As in Marco Polo's time, magical and fantastical elements lie tightly intertwined with economic or historical facts. In all, this volume is meant for a few specialists in Persian literary history or antique travel writing. I certainly learned something about both Iranian and Thai history, but it was rather a hard slog.