The country of Waq Waq. The land of women and gold in the Arab heritage - fact or myth?

The country of Waq Waq in the Arab heritage

The land of Waq Waq or Bilad Waq Waq is a land that has many resources mentioned throughout history, as it was mentioned in history books and the effects of ancient civilizations such as the writings of "Ibn Khaldun", "Al-Razi" and "Al-Idrisi" and also mentioned in books of tales and legends as in books such as "One Thousand and One Nights" and other tales.

The land of women, beauty, youth age and all that is in it of gold

It is mentioned in the Arab heritage that the country of Waq Waq is so far away that it was an example of distance and difficulty in achieving access, and it was said that the only way to reach it was the sea, and at one time it was said about the distance to it that it takes 8 years of continuous sailing, perhaps this was an exaggeration and perhaps it was a fact.

Although the country of Waq Waq is so far away, it has had the opportunity to describe and mention the marvels and news it contains that make believing that it is a legend much simpler than to believe that it is a fact, in which it is said that all its inhabitants are women only very beautiful throughout the hair, this is for the public, as for the ruling authority, it was also women, they have a queen who is in control of the entire country.

Here arises the question: "Did men have a place in the country of Waq Waq or not?"

It was also mentioned about the country of Waq Waq that all the gold in it and that it abounds in it and in it a huge abundance made its inhabitants wear clothes sewn of gold and all their tools are also made of it, meaning that the country of Waq Waq was the richest in the world at all.

The land of Waq Waq its people are not born

It is mentioned in the nature of the life of the people of the country of Waq Waq that it is different from the rest of the earth and it is said that its people are not human beings, but a creation similar to humans in their reproduction it was reported that they bear fruit on a giant tree called the Waq Waq tree and that it is the secret of being alive in the age of youth always they come out of it from the bottom up until they become hanging from their heads specifically from their hair.

The reason for naming the country of Waq Waq by this name

Historians and travelers differed on the reason for naming it, as it is believed that the name of the country of Waq Waq was mentioned about the naming of the tree, when the link between the hair of one of these beings and the branches of the tree fell to the ground screaming saying Waq Waq, so the country was named by this name in relation to this repeated cry.

It is also said, according to the account of the most famous Arab traveler Ibn Battuta, that it may have been diverted from the word "wakuku" in the Chinese language that they used to call the islands of Japan. There is a third opinion that it was named after birds with long legs and necks that were abundant in those islands and had a loud voice and those birds were called Waq Waq and the country was named after her because of their abundance.

Where is the country of Waq Waq located?

There is also a difference between the fact that there is a country of waq waq or not, but some ancient authenticators mention that the country of waq waq refers to the islands of Japan, because the Chinese used to call Japan in the past "wakuku", which is what "Ibn Battuta" Arabized into waq waq.

In another opinion, based on Al-Idrisi's description and the map he drew to the world in the country of Al-Waq Waq, it is a land located to East Africa from southern Yemen, and it is believed that what is meant by this endowment is the island of "Madagascar".

Other views that the Waq Waq Islands should refer to Indonesia or Malaysia are also received, but these views are not supported as the previous two views.