Page 71 - Journal of Asian History_Neat

TURK and Portuguese rn the Persian gulp 77

ami also the factor of Kalhat wrote [and gave] to me the nows about
the strait [of Mocha]. They said that there had come from Aden [to
Kalhat] a certain sheikh Abdullah and also another terrada. They
[also] said that there had come from the port of Suez to the port of
Mocha a capitdo with twenty galleys and two large ships, with three
thousand Turks on board. [The Turks] had given orders to take all
the land which was then in the possession of tho Zaidi Imam who is a
ruler (rtxj) in these territories of Arabia. Before tho Turks (rumes)
came, a son of tho Zaidi Imam had control of all the troops of his
father. This son was at variance with the Imam. He took no heed
whether his father would fight againt tho Turks or not. And when tho
Turks arrived, they attacked and captured tho fortress ofTa’izz (toez);
and, in addition, they seized five other ports, attacking them by
treachery. However, they were unable to take the fortress of San’a
($anaa). Although the son was on bad terms with his father, once he
sawr the land was being lost [to the Turks], he entered into amicable
relations with his father, made ready all his soldiers one night and fell
on the Turks, killing four hundred of their horsemen. [Sheikh Ab­

dullah] says [also] that there will come to Muscat and Kalhat, within
this first monsoon, which is three month’s time, ten or twelve [Turkish]
fuslas, as they did last year. It is certain that there are [already] at
i Aden three well equipped fuslas and more [of them] will come from
the port of Mocha. Sheikh Abdullah states that beyond doubt they
will come. Many of his friends have told him they are certain that
these ships will come this year and they have advised him to remove
his residence out of Kalhat. Last year there came no more than four
i
i
fuslas but none of the Portuguese stayed at Kalhat, all of them going
to Muscat last year, the guazil of Kalhat, with the help of the King,
Our Lord, drove them from the port and did not even allow them to
take water. Now, if these ten or twelve ships come with many troops,
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it would be necessary for the Portuguese and the Muslims (mouros)
to help him [i.e., the guazil of Kalhat] in such manner as to make
possible a resistance [to the Turks]. And it will not be more than two
months and a half before these Turks arrive.
At the end of the month of June there arrived at this town of Hor­
muz a ship which came from Mecca (mequa) and in it there came a
merchant who lives here in Hormuz and is a native of the place. He
told mo that he had come through Mocha, that there were seven or
eight oared ships lying there and that he had not seen more than this
number. The Turks kept him there [at Mocha] for three days and did

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