Erdogan Claims Muslims Beat Columbus to the Americas

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that
Muslims discovered the Americas before Christopher Columbus

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Turkish president revives disputed evidence that famous explorer found a mosque when he arrived on Cuban shore in 15th century

Muslims discovered the Americas in the 12 century, nearly 300 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage there, according to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey.

His words, delivered in a televised speech, will lend support to a controversial theory that has been debunked repeatedly by historians.

That did not seem to bother the conservative Turkish president during a summit in Istanbul of Muslim leaders from Latin America.

"Contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th century. Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus," he said.

Mr Erdogan went on to say that Columbus descibed the existence of a mosque on a hill by the Cuban site and that Ankara was prepared to fund a new place of worship for Muslims there.

"I would like to talk about it to my Cuban brothers. A mosque would go perfectly on the hill today," the Turkish leader said. » | Rob Crilly, New York, and agencies | Saturday, November 15, 2014