TH y MEL .^A C W^. 219 



same names to different liinds of the wood. Ibn Batuta speaks 

 of Kamfiri as soft, like wax. Abu Zaid calls it Ivamaruni, and 

 says it is the best kind. Abulf eda states that it comes from the 

 Kamardn Mountains. Kakuli is said to derive its name from 

 Knkaleh in Java. The epithets Mawardi, Saimuri and Jawi 

 are also applied by some writers to aloe wood. As regards the 

 idenLification of these localities, we would remark that Sanifi is 

 probably derived from Champa, a province in Cambodia ; 

 Mandali, from Mount Mandar or Mandul, south of the modern 

 town of Bhagalpur in Bengal ; Kamari or Kamaruni, from 



r 



Karaarun, the Arab name for Cape Comorin ; Saimuri, from 

 Saimur or Samar, an island in the Eastern Archipelago ; Halai 

 may possibly be derived from the Ilala Mountains between Sind 

 and Beluchistan, as Abu Zaid savs that the best aloe wood is 

 brought for sale by Multanis, 



Haji Zein-el-Attar (1338) calls aloe wood Ood-el-juj, and in 

 Persian, Ood and Balanjuj. After translating Ibn SLna'a 

 article on Ood, he gives his own opinion in the f olio sving terms : 

 '^The author of this work [Ikhtiarat-i-hadiaa) says the best is 

 called Kalambah {^S.^if)^ and comes from the port of Jena, which 

 is ten days^ sail from Java; it is sold for its weight in gold ; you 

 would think it odourless, but when warmed in the hand it has a 

 very sweet persistent odour; when burnt, the odour is uniformly 

 sweet until the wood is consumed. Xext is Mandali and 

 Samanduri, both from Sofala in India, the best of these is of a 

 golden colour and heavy. KuknU is like the Indian, and is 

 generally in large pieces, marked with black and yellow lines ; 

 then there is Kaman, golden-brown, without white streaks, it 

 comes from Kamariln and Sofala ; then Samfi, from Samp, 

 it is very hard and sweet ; then SahaU and Afasi, a moist 

 kind from China ; then 3Iantai, Randi, Halai, and Lanji^ all 

 of about equal value. And in Manta there is a tribe who call 

 the wood Ashhah, and it is of two kinds: one of these is in 

 large pieces weighing from 5 to 50 maunds, without much 

 odour, and used for making combs, knife handles, &c. 



Mir Muhammad Husain (1770) writes:— " Ood, in Hindi 

 Agar, is the wood of a tree which grows in the Jaintiya hills 



