Page 113 - Arabian Studies (I)

Arabia in the Fifteenth-century Navigational Texts 97

down the Gulf and is a NNW. wind hence WSW. would fit the
context best of all. The next course to Bahrain is even more difficult.
If the verses are in the right order the course is from the island of Qais
W.J6N. to Bahrain but the next bearing given, a more southerly one
from the island of Lar (Shaikh Shu'aib) makes nonsense. It is
possible that this bearing is from NakhTlu slightly north west of Lar
on the Persian coast. The true course from Qais to Bahrain would
begin almost due west.
Altogether these vague bearings to Bahrain from the nearest
prominent points on the Persian coast make one feel that the
information is theoretical and not practical i.e. the courses were not
actually sailed. These courses are however typical of the Arab
navigators’ directions. If they sailed directly across from Persia - for
instance from STraf which is mentioned by the poem but which was
in ruins at this time — to Bahrain they would certainly set a course
either direct or from Ra’s Naband. If they sailed south along the
coast from Bushire they would leave the coast at al-Kahn to cross to
Bahrain and similarly if they sailed west along the southern coast
they would leave the coast in the neighbourhood of Qais. Hence
these are all logical places from which bearings would be expected.
From Farur, the next island east of Qais, a circle of bearings is given.
The course from here to Bahrain via ‘the Cape’ i.e. Ra’s RakanorRa’s
Laffan in North Qatar is WSW. or W. by S., a more southerly course
than that from the more northerly places and hence not what would
be expected. A more southerly bearing from Farur (SW. by W.)
brings one to the islands off Qatar and to the pearl Fisheries.
Tunb, the next island, is E. by S. of Farur and is the most prominent
island in that part of the Gulf nearest to the straits. Tunb is also used
for a circle of bearings, although this is by no means complete in the
poem as it stands. The bearings are SSW. to Zaghnah according to a
confusing route. S. by E. produces the Cape (although which cape is
not clear) and al-Bannah, and these places must be on the Arab coast
in the neighbourhood of Sharjah. SSE. brings one to Umm al-Ouwain.
SE. by S. to Ra’s al-Hajar (near J. al-Hamra), SE. to al-Faqar and SE.
by E. Ra’s al-Khaimah. At this stage the poem ends abruptly at the
foot of a page with no colophon. The fact that the new page begins
abruptly in what appears to be the middle of another poem, makes
one think that something considerable has been lost in this
manuscript and that one might hope one day to Find the Arabian
coast of this Gulf described in some detail.
Finally it is useful to make a comparison between the data given
by the Arab navigators and contemporary Portuguese charts. In
actual fact only the earliest European charts are contemporary with