Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Thirty Three

In the last Section, there was description on the port named Moscha. But its location was not identified yet. The word is Greek. Another port named Mocha, is in Yemen on the eastern coast of Red Sea. Both the words are of same root. Difference of opinion among the scholars never ends as to the identity of ancient places. Mocha is same as Muza. Muza merchants and their agents were widely present in Western and Eastern coasts of Indian subcontinent. Muza people were called Muzaris by other merchant communities. This ethnomym had been marked as toponym of many localities. But the author's mention of Sachalitic 
frankincense indicates that the port is in the vicinity of Khuriya Muriya islands.
Continue to read Section Thirty Three:

Beyond the harbour of Moscha for about fifteen hundred stadia, (or one hundred fifty miles or two hundred and forty kilometres) as far as Asich, is a mountain range that runs along the shore at the end of which, in a row, lie seven islands, called Zenobian. Beyond this there is a barbarous region which is no longer of the same kingdom, but now belongs to Persia. Sailing along this coast well out at sea for two thousand stadia from the Zenobian island, there meets you an island called Sarapis about one hundred and twenty stadia from the mainland. It is about two hundred stadia wide and six hundred long, inhabited by three settlements of Fish-Eaters, a villainous lot, who use the Arabian language and wear girdles of palm leaves. The island produces considerable tortoise shell of the fine quality, and small sail boats and cargo ships are sent there regularly from Cana.
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My Search:-

1. Asich: Most probably it is Asir mountains in southwestern Saudi Arabia, running parallel to Red Sea coastal plains called Tihamah ( Red Sea coastal plains). Asir mountains are a part of Sarawat  mountain range. Some scholars are of the view that it is named after Asir tribe. In my view, the tribe who dwelled around Asir mountains are called Asir by the neighborhood; thus it is an exonym.  Its altitude ranges from 3000 metres to 9000 metres. 

2. Zenobian islands: A group of seven islands in the Red Sea off Yemen coast. Localities in the main island are Makram, Kamaran, and Furah. The modern day name of the islands is Kamran Islands. It is in the shallow waters of Arabian Peninsula's continental shelf, with coral reef surrounding the three sides of the islands. The name Kamran means two moons (Arabic) refers to double reflection of moon in the waters.
The ancient name Zenobian might be derived from the Greek word meaning "gift" or "bounty" reflecting its strategic location: a stopover for ships sailing between Indian subcontinent and Egypt. They are standing in shallow waters.

Sarapis: It is not possible to identify the location because the sailor's words ran: "Beyond these (Kamran Islands) there is a barbarous region which is no longer of the same kingdom, but now belongs to Persia."
I think he was not sure, whether he was going along Eritrean sea or Persian Gulf.

The End of the Section 

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