The winds first took them to discover Madeira, an Atlantic island. The journeys began with Prince HenryвЂ™s barges and caravels. As with space travel later, these journeys were hailed by the people who could not imagine what might be discovered. They were in search of every knowledge and the unknown world might offer answers to many important questions. The decks of the ships were adorned with shapes and symbols, pilots and seafarers, poets and soldiers, geographers and mathematicians.

It was the point where for the first time mankind learned the real nature of the world on which he lived. Portugal abounds with celebrations of this history, proud of of their role in this key event. In 1960 to commemorate five centuries since the death of Prince Henry the Navigator, Lisbon honoured the Portuguese contribution to maritime exploration. It meant Vasco must go on into unexplored worlds and discover where the rich spices were coming from. Here the Arabs had a monopoly on the spice trade, which the Portuguese were desperate to break. With the aid of a friendly Arab pilot, he guided his ships to India. The Portuguese were quick to fire their cannons, and as they sailed away, their monuments were sometimes destroyed.Д«ut Vasco was intrepid, and would not be deterred. At times the arrogance of the Portuguese provoked battles with the Muslims, and VascoвЂ™s men left on bad terms. They were met, in places, by hostile natives вЂ“ Arabs, who resented the arrival of Christians on their shores. His voyage marked the beginning of Portuguese colonisation of many parts of Africa and India. His task was to establish trading posts wherever possible and convert Muslims to Christianity. In their eagerness to go where nobody had gone before they dispatched Vasco da Gama.ДҐ00 years ago he set sail from Portugal, destined to circum-navigate Africa and continue to India.'into a sea of deepness and winds still to discover'. And 15th century Portugal was a nation at the cutting-edge of marine navigation, with an insatiable appetite for imperial expansion.

At the time it was still a dark and largely unexplored place. This story is no fairy tale вЂ“ it is recounted in an ancient mariner's diary and describes the beginning of the world as we know it.

Vasco da gama discovery