Taken from: Taken from: Madagascar, Comores et Mascareignes à travers la Hawiya d'Ibn Magid (866 H. /1462). Par François VIRE et Jean-Claude HEBERT.

 

According to the heading given (ENE = 67° 30'), the reverse course angle, from Reunion, would place this bandar Abya or Abaya, in orthodromy, at the latitude of Farafangana, but we cannot rely on this calculation in reverse, given the uncertainty that remains about Tiri-Raga and its position. Tibbetts who does not read the name agrees with Tomaschek; this one interprets the toponym as Wabaya, bringing it closer to Turabaya (= Turubaya - Fort Dauphin) by the ending -baya. This toponym offers multiple forms through relations and old maps; we thus find Turubaya (Barros, 1508), Turimbaya (Marmol, 1565), Torombaia (Thevet, 1575), Tumibaia (Belleforest, 1575), Torombaja (Megiser, 1609), then Tarobay, Turobaya, Turubaia, Torobaia, Turunbaia, Torunbaya , Torambai, Toranbai, Toraby .… (see A. Kammerer, The discovery of Madagascar … final folding table). According to the chronicle, the "kingdom" of Turumbaya took the name of its founder, a captain from Gouzerat or Java who was shipwrecked in these parts. For our part, we would see Abya further north and we would be tempted to compare it to the old Manayba / Monayba / Manajba of the portulans, which became Maïba on the maps of the 17th century and alternated with Aviboul (Aboboula at Gastaldo, 1567; Ababoda at Porcacchi, 1572). Kammerer identifies Manayba with a locality situated at the mouth of a Manatsimba river (?) at 23° 8, whereas there is nothing of the sort at this latitude; Lopary on the Mananivo River is lower, at 23° 15', and the wide Mananara Estuary, with Vangaindrano, five minutes further south. Finally, all these proposals remain within the domain of the hypothesis.

The exact place of Bandar Abyah is unknown but southwest of Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin) many sites were discovered with medieval imported ceramics. These places are: Efangitse which is inland. And on the coast: Ambinanibe; Tsiandrora. All are close together.

 

Efangitse

 

Taken from: The Evolution of Settlement Systems in the Efaho River Valley by HT Wright · 1993

 

Also, the site of Efangitse, traditional capital of one of the southern Anosy chiefdoms, produced both the 15th-17th century ceramics of Tranovato and the 18th and 19th century ceramics of Ehoala. Several other kinds of ceramics were found, but though we suspected they might be earlier we had no way of dating them.

The Tranovato Phase Ceramics .

The pottery of Efangitse, parallels examples from Tranovato (Vérin and Heurtebize 1974), which was the first site to be reported and gives its name to the phase. Three wares occur.

-Vessels of fine ware have body colours ranging from dark brown to very dark gray. The most common vessel shape is a carinated bowl with thickened lip. Also common in fine ware are basins with heavy thickened rims.

- Coarse ware vessels of this ware have body colours varying from brown to dark gray. The most common vessel shape is a very restricted jar without a neck.

- Micaceous ware, with 10-30% coarse mica particles, is uncommon.

 

The north sector of the important later centre of Efangitse, in the middle Efaho valley, also produced sherds with incised decoration, appliqué, and lip forms of Ambinanibé type which indicates a limited utilization in the river terraces.

 

Also Ming celadon and blue-and-white porcelain, dated 16th to 18th centuries AD. Also found at Efangitse were pieces of iron slag, spindle whorls, a fragment of potsherd ground into a disc, a gunflint and glass beads. Shards of chlorite schist reveal links with the east coast.

Taken from: L'ancienne métallurgie du fer à Madagascar - Chantal Radimilahy · 1988

 

At the fortified site of Efangitse in the lower Fanjahira Valley, iron slag was also discovered as well as a circular ingot bottom. This site could date back to the 15th - 16th century given the remains concealed.

 

Tsiandrora

 

Taken from: The Evolution of Settlement Systems in the Efaho River Valley by HT Wright · 1993

 

Tsiandrora, is on the sand dunes between the estuary of Andriambe and the channels of the Efaho itself, about 6 km westwards of Ambinanibe. It is possible to grow tubers on the old dunes, and rice can be cultivated along the Efaho. The site is marked by a scatter of marine shell and potsherds of Ambinanibe type over about 1.5 ha. The uppermost 80 cm in the excavations produced many ceramics of Ambinanibé type (14th to 15th centuries), with only small and weathered sherds of Maliovola (11th to 13th centuries).

 

Imported Chinese celadons examined by both Pierre Vérin and Audrey MacBain can be dated from the 13th to 15th centuries. One local plate rim may be a copy of a celadon form. In addition to ceramics, a few other items occurred on these sites. Tsiandrora produced iron slag, coral abraders, and cut chlorite-schist fragments. These last must have been imported from the north.

 

Taken from: Madagascar: The Development of Trading Ports and the Interior. Philippe Beaujard 2019.

 

A shard of sgraffiato ware from western Asia has purportedly been found (hardly recognizable) at Tsiandrora (Rakotoarisoa 1998: 56).

Local imitations of celadon bowls have been unearthed at Ambinanibe, Tsiandrora, and Efangitse.

 

Analapasy

 

This is the most eastern pre-Islamic Swahili settlement like Enijo is one. No foreign imports were found in the place.

 

Taken from: Les apports culturels et la contribution africaine au peuplement de Madagascar Pierre Vérin.

 

The Swahili of the archaic settlements.

They settled first in the far north and in the northwest. They are found as early as the ninth century at Irodo and in the twelfth century in the bay of Ampasindava, at Mahilaka and in the Ambariotelo islands. Their culture presents many analogies with that known on the eastern coast of Africa between the Lamou and Kiloa islands. The tight grip by a dynasty of Hadrami origin on trade at the turn of the fourteenth century is also felt in Madagascar.

The founders of these establishments had a stimulating role for the migrations of non-Islamized Bantu which began at this time and continued until the dawn of the historical period.

The ancient coastal civilizations of fishermen in the west and south:

Their favorite territory is located on the maritime fringe which goes from the mouth of the Betsiboka to the extreme south of Madagascar passing on the west coast by Maintirano, Lamboarana , Sarodrano, Bevoalavo (=Enijo), Talaky, Analapasy. Although this migration certainly dates back to a time contemporary with that of the archaic Swahili settlements, no sites of this culture prior to the twelfth century have so far been discovered.

The way of life of these populations, which was not without analogy with that of the present-day Antavelo and Vezo, depended very largely on fishing and the consumption of shellfish. Iron objects and combed pottery are very abundant in the sites. From these coastal installations, the settlement of the interior took place.