OF THE ANCIENT ARABS, 167 



Moosa, more than a thousand miles down the gulf; 

 and Ocehs on the Strait of Dirae (Bab el Mandeb). 

 The latter market in the time of Pliny was the most 

 celebrated for the merchandise of India, while Moosa 

 was the great entrepot for the native productions of 

 Arabia. Aden was the ancient centre of traffic 

 between India and the Red Sea. The ships from 

 the East, being too large to pass the strait, landed 

 their cargoes here. It was destroyed by the Em- 

 peror Claudius, -with the view of suppressing every 

 power that might interfere with the Roman com- 

 merce, and of increasing his revenues from the duties 

 on the trade of the gulf, which were collected by 

 Plocamus, with the garrison stationed at Leuke 

 Kome. In the time of Constantine, Aden had re- 

 covered its commercial celebrity ; and, being subject 

 to the empire, it got the name of Romanura Em- 

 porium. Kane, Sahar (the Sachalites of the Greeks), 

 and Moscha (Muscat) were noted for various native 

 exports, especially incense and aloes. Gherra was 

 the most celebrated mart on the Persian Gulf. Pliny 

 says the city was five miles in circumference, with 

 walls and towers built of fossil salt. Agatharcides 

 compares their riches with those of tlie Sabaeans ; 

 and adds, that they brought much wealth into Syria. 

 The commerce of the Arabs was not confined to 

 the maritime towns. The difficult navigation of 

 'their seas made it necessary to employ transports 

 by land for a considerable portion of their merchan- 

 dise. Trade was in this manner compelled to take 

 a variety of directions across the peninsula, which 

 from time immemorial was traversed by numerous 

 caravans, establishing a regular communication from 

 sea to sea, and connecting distant countries with each 

 other. The Gherreans crossed the desert to Petra, 

 Bosra, and Damascus. They were among the ear- 

 liest conductors of caravans on record. We learn 

 from Strabo, that they furnished a variety of articles 

 in spices and aromatics to the Tyrians and Pheni- 



