Assalamu Alaikum Ya Nesan!

Sarandib (alternatively Serendib) is the old Arabic / Persian term for the blessed land of the Saracen. Its fame stretches back to antiquity, as a place of unmatched beauty, gem laden riches and hospitable people. Its image of intrigue has been immortalized in the Persian language as the exotic land visited by Sinbad in his sixth voyage. And today it lends its name not just to an Island South of India, but also to a place far away, of equal intrigue.

Sarandib Planitia, is the name given to a relatively un-cratered terrain in Enceladus, one of the 53 moons that orbit the planet Saturn, approximately 1.2 billion kilometers from our blessed island.

Locations on Enseladus - Sarandib Planitia is marked in red

Enceladus is Saturn’s sixth largest moon. It was discovered in modern times, by William Herschel on the 28th of August in the year 1789, and named after the giant Enceladus, who appears in Greek mythology as one of the Titans. The name was chosen by Herschel’s son, John Herschel, who proposed this name, because Saturn in Greek was known as Cronos, who was the King of the Titans, and therefore he saw it fit to name its moons after the Titans themselves. The name “Sarandib Plantia” was selected by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), who used names of places and characters from the English translation of “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights” an Old Persian story book, which details the story of Sinbad’s visit to our blessed island.

View of Sarandib Planitia

So what kind of place is Sarandib Planitia? Well, it’s a relatively pristine part of Enceladus, where craters are minimal. It is located at 4.4° North Latitude, 298.0° West Longitude and is approximately 200 kilometers across. Compare this to our island which is 240 kilometers across. It is considered the youngest terrain on Enceladus, estimated to be less than a few hundred million years old. Its surface is primarily covered in ice, with temperatures at noon reaching a staggeringly low -198 degrees Celsius. Other than this, it is rather featureless, a stark contrast to the hot, humid and feature rich island that it is named after. None the less, Ibn Serendib is sure it maybe just as beautiful.

How proud should we be, as the name of our blessed homeland, precedes itself to the far corners of our solar system. This is indeed a great honor, Alhamdulillah!

May Allah bless our homeland and its people!