12 EARLY EAST AFRICA 



obtain a glimpse of the Indian Ocean of his day ; 

 of the carefully calculated voyages of the vessels, 

 but little if in any respect dissimilar from the Arab 

 and Indian dhows of modern times, which coasted 

 along from Muscat and Oman to Madagascar (Kam- 

 balu, or the Island of the Moon, as it was at that 

 time called) on the one hand, and to Sofala and 

 pearl-yielding Bazaruto on the other. 



He tells us in simple yet convincing language 

 of the forcible possession by the Arabs of practic- 

 ally the whole of the commerce of the coast, and 

 adds many interesting observations on the habits 

 and customs of the natives occupying the various 

 countries of the lengthy seaboard. 



At that time the most important commercial 

 centre was that of Mogdishu, which with Kilwa 

 (Quiloa, as the early Portuguese were accustomed 

 to spell it) was established between a.d. 908 and 

 975. 



Mogdishu, according to Massudi, was founded 

 by the Emozeides (or Ammu Saidi), feudatories 

 of the Sheik of Oman, in a.d. 908. Ancient 

 records state that its founder, Zeide (or Seyyid, 

 meaning prince, ruler), who was apparently a direct 

 descendant of the prophet, possessed religious views 

 of an extremely unorthodox character, and in con- 

 sequence was forced to submit to the apparently 

 (in those days) inconsiderable penalty of banish- 

 ment. As in the case of the founder of Kilwa, 

 to whom he may have served as an enviable ex- 

 ample, he gathered his adherents around him and 

 crossed over to the African coast. Having founded 

 Mogdishu, Brava, and other settlements to the 



