A geographical historie of Africa, written in Arabicke and Italian by Iohn Leo a More, borne in Granada, and brought vp in Barbarie. Wherein he hath at large described, not onely the qualities, situations, and true distances of the regions, cities, townes, mountaines, riuers, and other places throughout all the north and principall partes of Africa; but also the descents and families of their kings ... gathered partly out of his owne diligent obseruations, and partly out of the ancient records and chronicles of the Arabians and Mores. Before which, out of the best ancient and moderne writers, is prefixed a generall description of Africa, and also a particular treatise of all the maine lands and isles vndescribed by Iohn Leo. ... Translated and collected by Iohn Pory, lately of Goneuill and Caius College in Cambridge

Of the red sea.

THe red sea called by others the Arabian gulfe, and the streight of Me∣cha, containing in length twelue hundred miles, and in bredth but one hundred, is deuided into three partitions or chanels; the middlemost whereof being called The large or deepe sea, is without danger nauigable both day and night, because it hath from fiue and twentie to fiftie fathomes water, especially from the isle of Camaran euen to Suez stāding at the very bottome of the gulfe: the other two partitions, which are the easterne and westerne extremities, are incumbred with so manie little isles and rockes, as it is impossible to saile ouer them but onely by day-light, and with most expert pilots, which are to be hired at a small island lying ouerthwart the* 1.1 very mouth or entrance of the red sea; which the ancient kings of Egypt (if the report of Strabo be true) barred with a chaine, from the African, to the Arabian side. This sea is very skarce of fish; perhaps because there fall no ri∣uers thereinto, which with their fresh and sweete waters doe much delight and nourish the fish; and the strand or shore thereof is destitute of all greene grasse, herbes, or weedes. The portes and hauens of this sea are for the most part very dangerous and difficult to enter, by reason of the manifold win∣dings and turnings, which must be made, to auoide the rockes.

At the very head or North end of this gulfe, standeth Suez, which here∣tofore* 1.2 seemeth to haue bin called Ciuitas Heroum, and in the times of Da∣uid and Salomon Hazion-Geber, from whence the fleetes of those partes

were sent to Ophir for golde and other rich commodities. Vnder the Egyp∣tian Ptolemeys and the Romans, this towne flourished exceedingly, by reason of the infinite quantitie of merchandize brought thither from the east Indies, and Arabia. But now it is nothing so frequented; partly in regard of the mighty concurse and traffique which Mecha draweth vnto it selfe, and partly by reason of the Portugales conueiance of spices and other Indian commodities about the cape of Buena esperança. At this present the great* 1.3 Turke hath there an Arsenale, with certaine gallies, for feare of the Portu∣gals aforesaid: against whome there haue bin dispatched from this place two greate fleetes, one for the assailing of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and another for Ormuz. Howbe∣it because all the countries round about are vtterly destitute of wood, it is a matter of infinite charge to furnish foorth a fleete from hence; for they are constrained to fetch their timber as far as Caramania, partly by sea, and partly vpon camels backs. At this towne of Suez they haue no fresh water; but all their water is brought them from a place sixe miles distant vpon ca∣mels backs, being notwithstanding brackish and bitter.

The western shore of the Red sea is inhabited with people called in old* 1.4 time Troglodytae, which at this present do all of them yeelde obedience to the great Turke: who considering, that the fleets of the Portugales entered very often into the Red sea, and were there receiued by the subiects of Prete Gianni, and did him great domage; hath thereupon taken occasion not onely to conquer the Troglodytae, but also to wast and subdue a great part of Barnagasso, the most Northerlie prouince of the said Prete. So that the audacious attempts of the Portugales in those partes haue bred two most* 1.5 dangerous and bad effects; the one is, that the Arabians haue most strong∣ly fortified all their sea-townes, which before lay naked and without fortifi∣cation; the other, for that the Turke also hath bin occasioned thereby to make warre against the Prete. Wherefore they ought not to haue vnderta∣ken any such enterprise, but with full resolution and sufficient forces to ac∣complish the same: for lesser attempts serue to no other end, but onely to rouze and arme the enimie, which was before secure and quiet.

Neither is it heere to be omitted, that in the foresaide sea, a man can saile in no ships nor barks, but only those of the great Turke, or at least with his licence, paying vnto him for tribute a good part of the fraight. For this purpose he hath certaine Magazines or store-houses of timber, which is brought partly from the gulfe of Satalia, and partly from Nicomedia, and other places vpon the Euxin sea, vnto Rosetto and Alexandria; from whence it is afterward transported to Cairo, and thence to Suez.

This sea is called the Red sea, not in regard that the waters thereofbe all red, but (as some thinke) from certaine red rushes which growe vpon the shore: and (as others are of opinion) from a kinde of red earth which in sundry places it hath at the bottome: which earth dieth not the very sub∣stance of the water red, but by transparence causeth it (especially neere the shore) to appeere of that colour.

Notes

• * 1.1

  This isle I take to be Babel∣mandel.
• * 1.2

  Suez called of olde Heroum ciuitas, and Hazion Geber.
• * 1.3

  Arsenale signi∣fieth a store∣house for mu∣nition, and for all necessaries to build, re∣paire, and fur∣nish a fleete.
• * 1.4

  Troglodytae were a people that liued in caues vnder the earth to auoide the extrem heat, being deriued 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.5

  A great part of Barnagasso subdued by the Turke.