A. D. 947. 269 



refpec^s beyond our prefent knowlege of it. The Arabian merchants 

 from Oman and Siraf traded to Sofala, which produced abundance of 

 gold, and to an ifland called Phanbalou, or Caniclou (perhaps Madagaf- 

 car), where they had even eflablifhed colonies. \_Ma[pnidi's Meadows 

 of ^f; old and mines of pretiousjlones, in Notices des manufcripts du roi, V. i, pp. 



Ebn Haukal, an Arabian traveler of the fame age *, compofed a geo- 

 graphical account of all the countries occupied by the Mohamedans. In 

 his time, as in the preceding century, Siraf was the chief port of Ferfia, 

 and abounded with the commodities of the Eaft, which were diftributed 

 to all quarters of the world by the merchants of the place, many of 

 whom pofTefled fortunes of four millions of dinars, and fome ftill more f . 

 Hormuz was the emporium of Kerman (or Carmaiiiii) : the people of 

 that country cultivat^ fugar, and were noted for induftry and probity. 

 In Daibul, the port of Sind, there were merchants who traded in all 

 places. The countries adjacent to the Cafpian fea produced great quan- 

 tities of filk, whereof that of Meru in Khoraflm was moft ffteemed^ 

 the eggs of the filk-worms being carried thence to other places. In 

 thofe countries there were great raanufadures of filk, wool, hair, and 

 gold ftuffs. The Armenians excelled in hangings and carpets, and they 

 poflefled the beautiful colour called kermez, which the author underftood 

 to be a worm or infcft. The paper made at Samarcand was the beft in 

 the world. Khozr (a country on the north-weft coaft of the Cafpian 

 fea) contained two nations, the one of a dark colour and refembling 

 the Hindoos, and the other white people, who made a pradice of felling 

 their children. There were many veflels trading between the feverai 

 ports of the Cafpian fea, or fea of Khozr. Trabzoun (or Trebifond on 

 the Black fea) was much frequented by merchants. In Antakiah (An- 

 tioch), and many other cities of Afia, the water, an objecl: of the firil 

 atcention to an Arabian obferver, was made to flow through the flreets, 

 and into the chief buildings. Efkanderia (Alexandria in Egypt), though 

 frequently mentioned, is not noticed as a place of trade : three hundred 

 houles, built of marble, contained all the inhabitants. In Bajeh, a. 

 country adjacent to Upper Egypt, there were the richeft gold nunes in 

 the world ; and thence Egypt was furnifhed with flaves. A community 

 of white people fettled in Zingbar (or Ethiopia) imported articles of 

 food and clothing into that country. The author notes the great ex- 

 tent of the laud of the Blacks, bordering on the Ocean (apparently the 

 Gulf of Guinea) on the fouth, and bounded by deferts on the north, 



♦ Sir Wiiliam Oufcley, in his preface, mak.es f He elfewhere Hates thtir furtur.cs at fiity 



it app;irent, that Ebn Haukal lived l)ctvveen A. 1). mil. ions of direms. I am not acquainted wiijj ths 



go2 and 968; ;iuJ that Edrifil, Ebn Kordadbali, anticnt val.ie cf thofe monies of accoiUit, 

 and other witer-j of higli ceputaxio.'i, wai copi'jrs 

 from hirr. » j 



