Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Thirty Six

In the last Section the unknown sailor was at Basrah port, Iraq. He had visited Jebel Jais mountain, Ras al Khaimah, Bandar Abbas, a port on the shore of Persian Gulf; there he had a glimpse of Geno Mountain, which is a part of Zagros mountain range; Basrah port on the banks of Euphrates, before it joins Persian Gulf. Continue reading :

Sailing through the mouth of Gulf, after six days' course there is another market-town of Persia called Ommana. To both these market towns large vessels are regularly sent from Barygaza, loaded with copper and sandalwood and timbers of teakwood and logs of blackwood and ebony. To Ommana frankincense is also brought from Cana, and from Ommana to Arabia in boats sewed together after the fashion of the place; these are known as madarata. From each of these market-towns, there are exported to Barygaza, and also to Arabia, many pearls, but inferior to those of India; purple clothing after the fashion of the place, wine and a great quantity of dates, gold and slaves.

My Search:-
1. Ommana: Modern day Sohar. Pliny the elder referred to it as Omanah; Ptolemy as Omanon. Sohar has been credited as the birth place of Sinbad the sailor. It was one of the ancient settlement, and the name Oman is believed to be derived from this settlement. Look at the Google Maps: it is between Liwa and Saham.

2. It is like a return trip to Barygaza. Slaves were exported from Oman to Barygaza. It sheds light on genetic transfer to Indian coast.

3. Madarata must have been rafts made of wooden logs or bamboo polls fastened together, and flat bottom. These were called "therappam" or "changadam" on Malabar coast.


End of the Section 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

( 16 )CHARLES DICKENS: DAVID COPPERFIELD: CHAPTER 16: I AM A NEW BOY IN MORE SENSES THAN ONE

Next morning, after breakfast, I entered on school life again.  I went, accompanied by Mr Wickfield to the scene of my future studies- a grave building in a courtyard, with a learned air about it that suited very well to the stray rooks and jackdaws who came down from the Cathedral tower to walk with a clerkly bearing on the grass plot - and was introduced to my new master, Doctor Strong. Doctor Strong looked almost as rusty, to my thinking, as the tall iron rails and gates outside the house; and almost as stiff and heavy as the great stone urn that flanked them, and were set up, on the top of red brick wall, at regular distances all round the court, like sublimated skittles for Time to play at.  Doctor Strong was in his library, with his clothes not particularly well brushed, and his hair not particularly combed, his knee-small unbraced, his long black gaiters unbuttoned, and his shoes  yawning like two caverns on the hearth-rug.  Turning upon me a lustreless eye, t...
Read more

Sailing Around Erethraean Sea: Three

Updated 29/11/2024 Below the Calf-Eaters there is a little market-town on the shore after sailing about four thousand stadia from Berenice, called Ptolemais of Hunts, from which the hunters started for the interior under the dynasty of Ptolemies. This market town has true land to rtoise in small quantities; it is white and smaller in the shells. And here also is found a little ivory, like that of Adulis. But the place has no harbour, and is reached by small boats. 1. Calf-Eaters: Cattle rearing nomadic tribes. 2. Stadia is the plural of stadion. Ten  stadia= one mile. 3. Ptolemais of Hunts: Ptolemies Theron is the exact Greek term,  located at the Bay of Anfile or Amphila Bay on the coast of Eritrea. Facing the bay is Hando island. It is, in fact, a double bay, an inner bay within, between promontories M'edr and Lelisa. End of the Section 
Read more

Travels Of Marco Polo: Thirty

Now, let me tell of the beasts which his Majesty keeps for hunting.  Among these are Leopards and lynxes or stag-wolves well fitted for that purpose.  He has also many lions larger than those of Babylon of a beautiful hair and colour, striped length ways black red and white, and trained to catch stags, wild oxen, hogs, wild goats and asses; it is delightful to see one of these chases, where the hunters go out, carrying the lion in a cage, and with him a small dog.  They have likewise abundance of eagles, with which they capture hares, foxes and even wolves; those which are trained to catch these last are very large, and of great weight, so that no wolf can escape them. ____________________________________ 1. The lion here described by the author is manifestly the tiger. It is probable that tiger was unknown in Europe when Marco left, he might have viewed it as a variety of lion. 2. Lion and tigers are wild animals and cannot be domesticated. Still human societies used to ...
Read more