Taken from: Historia Jemanae, e codice manuscripto arabico, cui titulus est: Bugyat al-mustafid fi ahbar madinat Zabid concinnata translation: Johannsen (from here are the page numbers taken)

Kyushu University Institutional Repository

ラスール朝史料における東アフリカ馬場, 多聞九州大学大学院人文科学研究院歴史学部門 Society and Trade in South Arabia by Gerald Rex Smith

P174

(During the reign of the Rasulid Sultan Al Nasir) (1)

In the 23 year (AD 1422) the messenger from China led 3 ships to al Nasir, the value of the gift was 20000 mithquals (2) . The emissary had an audience with al-Malik al Nasir without kissing the ground in front of him, and said: Your Master the Lord of China greets you and counsels you to act justly to your subjects.  And [the sultan] said to him: Marhaban [welcome], and how nice of you to come!  And he entertained him and settled him in the guesthouse. Then al Nasir wrote a letter to the Lord of China: Yours it is to command and [my] country is your country.  He dispatched to him wild animals and splendid sultanic robes, an abundant quantity, and ordered [the envoy] to be escorted to the city of Aden.

P178

Has sent a present to the Sultan (of Yemen), in the tenth day of the month Ramadhan (3) the great Sultan of Dehlek (4) in 1430AD., between which there seems to be worthy of mention, especially the elephant, the lion, the girls, slaves, and the civet. (13)

P217

In the year 884 on the first of Rabiu (14^th January 1479) a soaring price surge occurred in Yemen, continuing until 886. In the month of Jumada (5) it became worse. It extended to Zabid (6), and Taizzu (7) and the mountain areas, Sanaa (8), Sa’da (9), Shihr (10), Mogadishu, Zeila (11). In Zeila (especially) it was so bad that after a few days the grains were gone and people were eating skin. Therefore, people were exhausted and died suddenly. Soon after that heavy rain fell and many floods occurred. In Zabid (6), many of the Wadi had flowing water, the fountains broke, and the water increased excessively. In the wadi of Zabid (6), there was a large flood that caused many creatures (khalq) to be carried away. People died and their products (al-intifa) were crushed with it, destroying the (normal) water stream and the land.

P250

In the year 900 on the 5th of Jumada (5)(Feb 10 in 1495) a large flood (tufan) occurred on the island of Barbara (12). In the port (bandar); 26 ships sunk. Among them were 2000 al-tanm, 7 more with grain (al-ta’am), and many slaves.

(1) Rasulid Sultan Al Nasir: Sultan an-Nasir Ahmad (r. 1401-1424) was able to revive the Rasulid dynasty's declining fortunes.

(2) Mithquals; mithqals: 4-5 gr of gold.

(3) month Ramadhan: is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran is believed to be revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

(4) Dehlek: Dahlak island of the Eritrean coast.

(5) month of Jumada: is the fifth month of the 12 lunar months in the Islamic calendar.

(6) Zabid: town on Yemen's western coastal plain. It is one of the oldest towns in Yemen.

(7) Taizzu: Taizz is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni Highlands, near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea.

(8) Sanaa: capital of Yemen.

(9) Sa’da: Saada is the capital city of Saada Governorate in north-western Yemen.

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

(11) Zeila: in N Somalia close to Djibouti.

(12) Barbara; Brbr: Barbar of East Africa (north Somali coast).

(13) Other works mentioning the civet from Africa are (see my webpage:) Al-Jahiz Al-Fakhar al-Sudan (869); Shah Mardan Ibn Abi al-Khayr (11th); Joseph ibn Abraham (1137); Yakut al Hamawi (1220); Al-Saghani (1252); Nur al-ma'arif (1295); al-Watwat (1318); Friar Jordanus; (1329); Ibn Battuta and the African Diaspora (1331); Cowar el-aqalim (1347); From the Court of Al-Zahir (1439); Ibn al-Ahdal (1451); Ibn Madjid: As-Sufaliyya (1470); Ibn al-Dayba (1496).