The Whole Of The North Of Africa Having Been Subdued, Was Thoroughly Known
By Them; And They Seem To Have Extended Their Arms, Or At Least Their
Knowledge, As Far Into The Interior As The Banks Of The Niger.
On the east
side, their arms had penetrated to Sofala; but on the west their knowledge
does not appear to have reached beyond Cape Blanco, in the Bay of Arguin.
The fortunate islands of the ancients were known to them, and the Pike of
Teneriffe seems obscurely represented.
Of the other islands and ports
farther to the south on this side of Africa, it is impossible to ascertain
their identity; or whether, as represented by the Arabians, they may not be
regarded as among those fables in geography, in which all the ancient
nations indulged. We may, however, trace some resemblance, in name or
description, to the Canary Islands, the River Senegal, and the Rio d'Ouro.
Malte Brun is of opinion, that their knowledge extended beyond Cape
Boyador, for so long a time impassable by the Portugese.
On the eastern side of Africa, the Ethiopia of the Arabians seems to have
terminated at Cape Corrientes: their power and religion were established
from the Cape to the Red Sea. In their geographical descriptions of this
part of Africa, we may trace many names of cities which they still retain.
But they adopted the error of Ptolemy in supposing that the southern parts
of Africa and Asia joined; for Edrisi describes an extensive country,
extending from the coast of Africa to that of India, beyond the Ganges.
The island of Madagascar seems to be faintly pourtrayed by them; and it is
certain that Arabian colonies and the Mahometan religion were established
in it from a very early period. Massoudi mentions an island, two days' sail
from Zanguebar, which he calls Phanbalu, the inhabitants of which were
Mahometans; and it is worthy of remark, as Malte Brun observes, that in the
time of Aristotle a large island in this Ocean was known under a similar
name, that of Phebol. It is surprizing that the island of Ceylon, with
which the Arabians had such regular and constant intercourse, should be
placed by Edrisi near the coast of Africa.
But it was in Asia that the conquest, and commerce, and religion of the
Arabians spread most extensively; and hence their geographical knowledge of
this part of the globe is more full, accurate, and minute, than what they
had acquired of the other portions. By their conquest of Persia, the
ancient Bactriana, Transoxiana, &c. fell into their power; and according to
their wise plan, they immediately made themselves acquainted with the
geography, productions, &c. of these countries. From their writers we can
glean many new and curious particulars, respecting the districts which lie
to the north and east of the Gihon: whether in all respects they are
accurate, cannot now be ascertained; for these districts, besides that they
are comparatively little known to the moderns, have suffered so much from
various causes, that their identity can hardly be determined.
On the west of Asia, near the Black Sea and the borders of Europe, the
Arabian geographers throw much light; their information is minute and
exact, and it reaches to the passes of Caucasus. Red Russia, it is well
known, derives its appellation from the colour of the hair of its
inhabitants. Now the Arabian geographers describe a Sclavonic nation,
inhabiting a country near Caucasus, called _Seclab_, remarkable for
the redness of their hair. Hence, it is probable that the modern
inhabitants of Red Russia, who are Sclavonic, emigrated to it from this
district of Caucasus.
Some notices appear of those parts, of Russia which border on Russia:
Maschput, which is represented as a city of consequence, probably is
Moscow. On the borders of the salt plains of Susith, a country is
described, called Boladal Rus, evidently Russia, the inhabitants of which
are represented as noted for their filth.
With the figure and extent of the Caspian Sea, the Arabian geographers were
tolerably well acquainted: and they describe, so as to be recognized,
several tribes inhabiting the borders of this sea, as well as the vicinity
of the Wolga. One is particularly noticed and celebrated, being called the
People of the Throne of Gold, the khan of whom lived at Seray, near the
mouth of the Wolga. To the east of the Caspian, the Arabian conquests did
not extend farther than those of Alexander and his immediate successors.
Transoxiana was the limit of their dominions towards the north, in this
part of the world.
Of many of the districts which the Arabians, conquered, in this part of
Asia, they have furnished us with such accurate and full information, that
modern discoveries have been able to add or correct very little. That they
were acquainted with Thibet and China, has already appeared, from the
account given of their commerce. Thibet they represent as divided into
three parts, Thibet upper, central, and lower. At the beginning of the
eighth century, Arabian ambassadors were sent to China: they passed through
Cashgar. After this period, journies to China by the route of Samarcand
were frequent. Besides Canfu, described by the Mahomedan travellers of
Renaudot, other cities in China were visited by the Arabian merchants, most
of which were in the interior; but the Arabian geographers seem to have
been puzzled by the Chinese names. We learn, however, that the provinces of
the north were distinguished from those of the south; the former were
called Cathay and Tehar Cathar, or Cathay, which produces tea: its capital
was Cambalu: the provinces in the south were called Tchin or Sin. The
appellation of Cathay was that under which alone China was long known to
the Europeans. Under the name of Sin, given to the southern districts, the
Arabian geographers frequently comprehended all the country to the Ganges.
The Arabians divided the present Hindostan into two parts; Sind and Hind:
the first seems to have comprised the countries lying on the Indus; Hind
lay to the east, and comprehended Delhi, Agra, Oude, Bengal, &c. The Decan,
at least the western part of it, belonged to Sind.
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