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Al Kharaqi: Mountaha i-idrak fi taqasim al-aflah (Extreme knowledge on the division of spheres) (1138)(from Marw in Khorasan)

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Taken from: Al-Battani sive Albatenii Opus astronomicum: ad fidem codicis

The part of the Muntaha describing the five seas was edited and translated into Latin.

By C. A. Nallino: Albatenii opus astronomicum; vol. 1, 169-175, Milan.

 

Climate map taken from this book


The Indian sea in length west to the east from the ends of ard al-Habashah to the extend beyond the edge of the Indian and Chinese land is 8000 miles together: breadth 2700 miles, and 1700 miles beyond of the equator line.

Starting at Ethiopia, to the go out from him, and stretching out to the al-Barbar; called the Barbarian Gulf; its length is 500 miles, latitude around 100.

From the [Indian sea] another gulf towards Aylah (1) exists, the sea of al-Qolzum, (2) who is 1400 miles in length, latitude in the beginning around 700, and its extreme boundary towards the next sea called the Green Sea (5), 200; at its end, is found the [city] al-Qolzum from where the name of the sea; towards the East, the land of al-Yemen and Aden; to the South Ethiopia. Out also by the [Indian Ocean] the Persian Gulf ground (Fars) also called sea of al-Basrah and Persia on the coast on the east side is Tiz (3) and the [province] of Mukran (4) in the west.

(1) Aylah: Eilah: on the Gulf of Aqaba or Gulf of Eilat.

(2) Al-Qulzum: : located at the head of the Gulf of Suez.

(3) Tiz: port on the shore besides Macran in Iran.

(4) Mukran; Mekran: Makran or Mecran and Mokran, is the coastal region of Baluchistan (Pakistan).

(5) al-Bahr al-Akhdar (the Green Sea); other names: sea of Darkness = Bahr az-Zulmatal; Bahr al-Muhit (the Circumambient Ocean).