Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that the Americas were discovered by Muslims in the 12th century, nearly three centuries before Christopher Columbus.
Erdogan said in a speech, during an Istanbul summit of Muslim leaders from Latin America, that contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th century as Muslims discovered America in 1178, the BBC reported
Erdogan added that according to a diary entry, Columbus mentioned the existence of a mosque on a hill on the Cuban coast, and so, the President would like to discuss building a mosque, which would go perfectly on the hill, with Cuba.
In 1996, historian Youssef Mroueh published an article stating Columbus' entry was proof that Muslims had reached the Americas first and that the religion of Islam was widespread.
However, many scholars believe the reference is metaphorical, describing an aspect of the mountain that resembled part of a mosque as no Islamic structures have been found in America that pre-date Columbus.