The Water Itself, When Taken Up, Is As Clear As In
Any Other Part Of The Sea.
The Red Sea does not abound in fish, but it
produces small pearls in many places.
The mouth of the Red Sea, called
the Straits of Mecca or of Bab-al-mandeb, is in lat. 12 deg. 40' N. and is
as it were locked up by seven small islands, the largest of which, now
Mehun, was called by Ptolemy Perantonomasiam. On going from the
straits towards Suez along the eastern or Arabian shore, there are only
a few small ports of no note for the first 44 leagues, till we come to
the island of Kamaran, which is subject to the king of Aden. At 60
leagues from thence we come to Gezan a large town; thence 130 leagues
to Yambo, all in the dominions of Mecca, having several good towns and
harbours. Among these are the famous and well known ports of Ziden and
Juddah, or Joda; Mecca being 15 leagues inland from the latter.
From Yambo it is 60 leagues to Toro, where the children of Israel are
said to have crossed the Red Sea, which at this place is 3 leagues
across. Thence to Suez is 40 leagues, and there ends the Arabian
shore. On sailing back to the straits along the western shore of Egypt
and Ethiopia, from Suez which is 20 leagues from Grand Cairo the vast
metropolis of Egypt, it is 45 leagues to Al-cosier; thence 135 to the
city of Suakem, in which space there are many ports:
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