Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Seven

In Section six the unknown sailor was at Zula (ancient Adulis). He had been giving an account of imports and exports to Zula and other ports he covered earlier.


From this place the Arabian Gulf trends toward the east and become narrow just before the Gulf of Avalites. After about four thousand stadia [about four hundred miles or six hundred and forty kilometres] for those sailing eastward along the same coast there are other Berber market-towns, known as the "far-side ports; lying at intervals one after the other without harbours but having roadsteads where ships can anchor and lie in good weather. The first is called Avalites; to this place the voyage from Arabia to far-side coast is shortest. Here there is a small market-town called Avalites, which must be reached by boats and rafts. There are imported into this place, flint glass assorted, juice of sour grapes from Diospolis, dressed cloth assorted, made for the Berbers; wheat, wine and a little tin. There are exported from the same place, and sometimes by the Berbers themselves crossing on rafts to Ocelis and Muza on the opposite shore, spices, a little ivory, tortoise shell, and a very little myrrh, but better than the rest. And the Berbers who live in the place are very unruly.

Notes:-

1. Gulf of Avalites: Modern day Gulf of Zula. 

2. Roadsteads: A roadstead is a safe anchorage, where ships can anchor often in a natural sheltered location. Berenice in Egypt and Adulis in Eritrea are examples of roadsteads.

3. Avelites: Ancient port city located on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea, where Aligide River drains into Gulf of Zula.

4. Diospolis: It was situated in Thebs region Egypt.

5. Ocelis or Okelis: It was a port on the Arabian side of the Red Sea, near Bab al-Mandeb, separating Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden. The place sometimes appears as Acila or Akila.

6. Muza or Musa or Mousa was an important trading post on the Arabian coast of Red Sea, near strait of Bab al-Mandeb. It is Mocha of Yemen.

Now the anonymous navigator is at Zula (Avelites), Eritrea.

End of the Section 

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