HISTORIC DOCUMENTS OF TRAVELERS FROM AD 1179 TO AD 1524, WHO VISITED MOGADISHU NOW CAPITAL OF SOMALIA πΈπ΄
Vasco da Gama (1469-1524)
On his return from Calicut (Kozhikode) in 1499, Vasco da Gama landed in Mogadishu and, in his journal wrote,
"It is a large fortified city, with four or five-storeyed houses, large palaces and numerous mosques with cylindrical minarets"
Yaqut Abd Allah al-Rumi al-Hamawi (1179-1229)
In his work, Mu'jam al-buldan, written between 1224 and 1228, this Syrian historian describes Mogadishu as a major commercial city, with a flourishing trade in ivory and particular animal skins - such as giraffes, rhinos and leopards - which were hard to come by in other parts of the world.
Muhammad Ibn Battuta (1304-1368/1369)
This Moroccan traveller and historian reached the city in the spring of 1331, coming from Zayla. In his book, entitled Rihla, he writes: "Maqdashaw is enormous in size. Its inhabitants are merchants with vast resources; they own a large number of camels and slaughter hundreds of them every day [...], and they also have many sheep. In this city they produce unrivalled quality fabrics I...] that are exported to Egypt and elsewhere." On orders of the Sultan, Ibn Battuta was accommodated in the house reserved for Islamic students and every day he worshipped at the Jama'a Mosque.
Duarte Barbosa (1480-1521)
This Portuguese voyager, sent by his government to explore the coasts around the Indian Ocean, wrote in
1518: "Proceeding coastwise towards the Red Sea there is a very great Moorish town called Magadoxo; it has a king over it; the place has much trade in divers kinds, by reason whereof many ships come hither from the great kingdom of Cambaya, bringing great plenty of cloths of many sorts, and divers other wares, also spices: and in the same way they come from Adem.
And they carry away much gold, ivory, wax and many other things, whereby they make exceeding great profits in their dealings. In this country is found flesh-meat in great plenty, wheat, barley, horses and fruit of divers kinds, so that it is a place of great wealth. They speak Arabic. The men are for the most part brown and black, but a few are fair. They have but few weapons, yet they use herbs on their arrow to defend themselves against their enemies".
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