1844.] Commerce of the Arabs. 523 



sea (Mediterranean,) and disembark at Ferma, from thence they trans- 

 port their wares by land to Kolzom, which is a distance of five 

 days' journey and twenty farsangs. From Kolzom they sail in the 

 Eastern sea to the Hijaz and Juddah, thence they proceed to Sinde, 

 India and China. From China they export musk, aloes, camphor, 

 cinnamon,* and other articles which are exported from that country; 

 with these they return to Kolzom, and from this harbour they carry 

 their goods to Ferma, where they put them on board the ship to sail 

 in the Mediterranean, either to Constantinople where they sell off, or 

 they go to the country of the Franks and sell their wares there. 



" There is another road. If they choose they bring their goods from 

 the Mediterranean to Antioch, to which town they have to transport 

 their goods by land, only three days' journey. Then they go down the 

 Euphrates to Bagdad ; then they go on to Tigris to Obollah ; thence 

 they sail to 'Oman,f Sind, India and China, for all this is one unin- 

 terrupted road for navigation. 



" The Russian merchants who are of Sclavonian origin, export the 

 furs of beavers and of black foxes from the most distant part of the 

 Sclavonian country, and bring them to the coast of the Rumish sea 

 (Black sea,) where the Greek emperor levies customs on them. Or if 

 they chose, they go in the river of the Sclavonians (Wolga,) and they 

 pass in the Gulf, the town of the Khazar, where they are taxed by the 

 Khazar king (who was a Jew,) and thence they continue their naviga- 

 tion into the sea of Jorjan (the Caspian,) where they land in any 



* " From China," says Cosmas Indicopleust. (Cap. xi,) "silk, aloes, caryo- 

 phyllum and tzandama are exported." The centre of the commerce of the South 

 6ea appears from the same author to have been Ceylon. At Ceylon there are vessels 

 from "./Ethiopia, India and Fars. It has also commerce with Mala, from which 

 pepper comes, and with Calliana whence metal (aes,) various sorts of wood (ligna, ) 

 sesamum and stuffs for dressing are exported, and with Sinde which exports musk 

 or castorin and androstachys." 



f The Jehannuma (A Turkish work on geography, printed at Constantinople A. D. 

 1731, p. 543,) contains the following list of articles which are to be found at 'Oman 



J^s^li (j^-j! Cl»y>l> gy* %}-*}* yy £^£ £^ fAJ (^AcjL-Jw<> 



