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Document Details : Title: Arabia's Relations with East Africa Author(s): TIBI, Amin Journal: ARAM Periodical Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Date: 1996 Pages: 237-241 DOI: 10.2143/ARAM.8.2.2002196 Abstract : For a long time before the birth of Islam, the Arabs of the coasts of Arabia were active in the trade of the Erythraean Sea, i.e. the Indian Ocean and its branches the Red Sea and the Gulf, hence their description as the Phoenicians of the Southern Sea. They were familiar with the monsoons and used, therefore, to sail towards the coasts of India in summer when the monsoons blew from the southwest, and would return in winter when the monsoons blew from the northeast. They would set sail towards the east African coast in winter (end of November to February) and would return in summer (end of March to September) according to the seasonal direction of the monsoons, a term which passed to European languages from the Arabic mawsim, i.e. season. |
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