A map in this manuscript and its translation .



The translation of the map of Al Shihr from this book

 

Ann: Irtifa al’dawla al-mu’ayyadiyya: Book on the revenue of sultan
al-Mu’ayyad Dawud (d1320) Yemen  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An administrative manuscript kept in the al-Malik Fahd Library in Riyadh. The Irtifa 'al-dawla al-mu'ayyadiyya: Income from the reign of al-Mu'ayyad =the Rasulid Sultan al Malik al Mu’ayyad Dawud (1296-1321AD), gives in 207 folios a detailed statement of all the resources of the Rasulid sultanate, province by province. In most of the provinces tax is collected by the administrators of the sultans own services. In the other case it is directly collected by the army. The Saudi scholar Muḥammad al-Fayfi, refers to it in his book Al-dawla al-rasuliyya fi al-Yaman simply as al-maḫṭuṭa al-diwaniyya. The title of Irtifa ‘aldawla al-mu’ayyadiyya is taken from an indication in folio 64v. The information relating to East African trade are not found anywhere else.

 

Taken from : Pouvoir, commerce et marchands dans le Yémen rasulide by Eric Vallet

Le livre des revenus du sultan rasûlide al-Malik al-Mu'ayyad Dâwûd b. Yûsuf (m. 721/1321) by محمد عبد الرحيم جازم

Page numbers from the manuscript.

 

Fol.79v

Makdashi (1)

Beginning the journey from Aden on June 4.

 

Fol.80r

This area includes a special Sea of Amber. And most of that is found on the coasts (alsawahil) and Shihr (2) and Abyan (3), Aden and Bab al-Mandeb.

……………….

This is the map of Aden

Fol.88r

Province of al-Sihr, outside matgar.(=store)

 

We have to precede this by two notes.

First note: On the dates of the best season.

-Beginning of the trip by those of Maqdisi (1) from Maqdisuh (1) towards al-Sihr on 15th adar (mars).

-Beginning of the trip by those of Zafar from Zafar (5) towards al-Sihr on 17th nisan (april)

………………….. 

 Fol.88v

Second note: on the established rules, there are two kinds.

  

 First the rules of the sea.

The minds of the people of India, of Maqdisuh (1), of Zafar (5) and others have to be convinced that they will be treated with

justice and equal, received with honor and generosity, that all forms of justice are brought to them in which the most
prominent among them are rejoicing. Indeed they have had relations with officers of the administration who did not keep to
this…….

 …………………..

Fol.90r

Drawing of Al Shihr (2) and surroundings.

 

Income from the taxes (irtifa)

Fol.91r

The Mogadishu season (=the arrival of the ships from Mogadishu): sixhundred and sixty dinars.(6)

……………………

Fol.91v

Village (daman) of Raydat al Misqas, on the fields and the palms; as well as on the rights on the ships coming from

Maqdisuh (1) for fishoil (sifa): 7000 dinar (6)

 

Village of Hayrig; on the fields and palms: 5000 dinar. (6) 

 

Province of Hadramawt (7): revenue : 13000 dinars (6)

 

Miscellaneous rights collected: 5525 dinars + ¼

 

Miscellaneous revenue from the sea: 27201 + ½

-Maqdisi (1), 3 ships (gahazat) : 12000 dinars

-Zafari (5), 3 ships : 4201 dinars + ½

-Indian Season, 2 ships : 11000 dinars (6)

(1) Makdashi: Mogadishu.

(2) Shihr: coastal town in Hadhramaut in eastern Yemen.

(3) Abyan: province of Yemen just east of Aden.

(4) Bab al-Mandeb: is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa.

(5) Zafar: or Dhafar is an ancient Himyarite site situated in Yemen, some 130 km south-south-east of today's capital, Sana'a.

(6) dinars: gold coin of one mithqal (4-5 gr of gold).

(7) Hadramawt: eastern part of Yemen.