FLOEA OF ADEN. 
75 
Aden, which otherwise would puzzle the botanist who tries to explain 
their origin. 
Imports from the East coast of Africa ; Animals, coke, coffee, dyeing 
materials, feathers, gums, hemps, ivory, mats, provisions, seeds, shells, 
wood. 
From Zanzibar ; Fruits, grain, gums, oil, spices, wood. 
From Egypt : Fruits, liquor, paper, tobacco. 
From the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf : Building materials, coke, 
coffee, cotton, cotton piece goods, drugs, dyeing materials, feathers, 
fruits, grain, gums, hides, ivory, jewellery and precious stones, jute 
manufactures, mats, provisions, tobacco, firewood. 
From the Persian Gulf and Muscat : Cotton, cotton piece goods, 
drugs, fruits, vegetables, grain, seeds, woollen goods. 
From Cutch : Cotton piece goods, grains, tobacco. 
From Bombay : Apparel, building materials, cabinet and furniture, 
carriages, chemicals, clocks, cordage, cotton, earthenware, glass, etc. 
From Malabar : Cordage, drugs, oils, spices, wood. 1 
This extensive traffic is not a creation of the last century. Roughly 
speaking Aden has been known as a commercial centre for 2,000 years, 
and records exist which show that at an early date the merchants of Aden 
have been sending their boats to the far distant coasts of more eastern 
countries. 
To Edri,si 2 (born in 1099 A. D.) we owe much valuable information on 
the geography of Arabia. There is, perhaps, no other traveller who can 
rival with him as to the variety and completeness of geographical details 
regarding that part of Western Asia. In the harbour of Aden he saw 
boats that came from Sind, from India, and from China. The latter 
brought, amongst other articles, the following vegetable products : aloe 
wood, pepper (fragrant and non-fragrant), coconuts, cardamoms, cinna- 
mon, galanga (a fragrant herb), mac is (?) myrobolans, ebony, camphor 
nutmegs, cloves, rattans and other canes, and the greatest part of bitter 
aloe which is destined for commerce. 3 
Marco Polo (born in 1254 A. D.) describes the commercial route 
between Aden and Alexandria : 
“ E& cest Aden est le port la ou il vient moult de nefs delude 
a tout© leur marehandise. Et de cest port la portent, li marchant, bien 
sept journees, atout petites nefs. Et, an chief de ces sept . journees, 
1 Hunter, 1. c. p. 96, 97. 
2 Hartmann, J. M. Edrisii Africa, Gottingen, 1796, Ed. 2, §. 7, p. LXVL— LXVIII. 
8 Geographie d’Edrisi traduite de l’Arabe en Erancais d'apres deux Mscr. de la 
Biblioth. du Roi, accompagnee- de notes par A. Jaubert, Paris, 1836, Volume I, page 51 5 2 
