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130
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAT, 1879.
tured by the chiefs and kings of Arabia. They lished and notable mart of trade, at a distance are called Kanraitai. Altogether, therefore, south from Berenikê of not more than 12,000 the navigation of this part of the Arabian coast stadia. The whole place is full of Arabian shipis very dangerous : for, apart from the barbarity masters and common sailors, and is absorbed of its people, it has neither harbours nor good in the pursuits of commerce, for with ships of its roadsteads, and it is foul with breakers, and own fitting out, it trades with the marts beyond girdled with rocks which render it inaccessible. the Straits on the opposite coast, and also with For this reason when sailing south we stand off Barug az a. from a shore in every way so dreadfal, and 22. Above this a three days' journey off lies the keep our course down the middle of the gulf, city of Saue, in the district called Mophastraining our utmost to reach the more civilized ritis. It is the residence of Kholaibos, the part of Arabia, which begins at Burnt Island. despot of that country. From this onward the people are under a regu- 23. A journey of nine days more conducts us lar government, and, as their country is pastoral, to Sa phar, the metropolis of Khariba él, the they keep herds of cattle and camels.
rightful sovereign of two contiguous tribes, the 21. Beyond this tract, and on the shore of a Homerites and the Sa baitai, and, by bay which occurs at the termination of the left means of frequent embassies and presents, the (or east) side of the gulf, is Mouza, an estab.friend of the Emperors.
called Burnt island, which answers to the modern district called Ma pharitisor Mophareitês, Zebêyir (about lat. 15° 5 N., long. 42° 12 E.), & name which appears to survive in the modern an island which was till recently volcanic.
Mbarras, which designates a mountain lying (21) Beyond this is the great emporium called N. E. from Taa es. It was ruled by Kholaibos Mouza, [lat. 13° 43' N.,long. 43°5 14' E.] situated (Arabice-Khaleb), whom our author calls a tyrant, in a bay near the termination of the Gulf, and at a and who was therefore probably a Sheikh who had distance from Berenike of 12,000 stadia. Here revolted from his lawful chief, and established the population consists almost entirely of merchants himself as an independent ruler. and mariners, and the place is in the highest degree (23) The other city was Sapbar, the metrocommercial. The commodities of the country are polis of the Homeritai, i.e. the Himaryirich and numerous (though this is denied by the Arabs of Yemen, whose power was widely Pliny), and there is a great traffic in Indian extended, not only in Yemen but in distant articles brought from Barugaza (Bharoch). countries both to the East and West. Saphar is This port, once the most celebrated and most fre- called Sapphar by Ptolemy (VI. vii.), who places quented in Yemen, is now the village Musa about it in 14°N. lat. Philostorgios calls it Tapharon, twenty-five miles north from Mokha, which has and Stephen of Byzantium Tarphara. It is now replaced it as a port, the foundation of which dates Dhafar or Dsoffar or Zaphar. In Edrisi (I. p. back no more than 400 years ago. "Twenty miles 148) it appears as Dhofar, and he thus writes of inland from Mokha," says Vincent, "Niebuhr disit:-" It is the capital of the district Jaheseb. It covered a Musa still'existing, which he with great was formerly one of the greatest and most famous probability supposes to be the ancient mart now of cities. The kings of Yemen made it their carried inland to this distance by the recession of residence, and there was to be seen the palace of the coast." (He must have confounded it with Zeidan. These structures are now in ruins, and Jebel Musa, due east of Mokhå, at the com- the population has been much decreased, nevermencement of the mountain country.]' It is a theless the inhabitants have preserved some mere village badly built. Its water is good, and remnants of their ancient riches." The ruins is said to be drunk by the wealthier inhabitants of the city and palace still exist in the neighof Mokh. Bochart identified Mouza with the bourbood of Jerim, which Niebuhr places Mesha mentioned by Moses.
in 14' 30 N. lat. The distance from Saue to (22) The Periplús notices two cities that lay Sapbar in the Periplús is a nine days' journey. inland from Mou 28-the 1st Saue, the Save Niebuhr accomplished it however in six. Perhaps, of Pliny (VI. xxvi., 104), and also of Ptolemy as Müller suggests, the nine days' journey is from (VI. vii., p. 411), who places it at a distance of Mouza to Sapher. The sovereign of Saphar 500 stadia S. E. of Monza. The position and is called by our author Kharibael, a name distance direct us to the city of Taa es, which lies which is not found among the Himyaritic kings neara mountain called Saber. Sauê belonged to a known from other sources. In Ptolemy the
