Sulaiman al-Mahri (d1550) in his Kitab al-Minhadj has:

Noshim (?) on the east coast and Malawin (?) on the west by 7 isba.

 

Taken from: Madagascar, Comores et Mascareignes à travers la Hawiya d'Ibn Magid (866 H. /1462)

Par François VIRE et Jean-Claude HEBERT.

 

On the west coast, Malawin would be, according to Tibbetts, the Portuguese Maro Bellavo, the current Nosy Voalavo “the island of the rats” (this name would be an indication that the ships approached there). Khoury places it a little to the east of Cape Saint André, at Vilamatsaha, at the mouth of the Anjakaboro river; but we think this place should be seen south of the cape. This toponym can still be read Malawini or Malwini and its etymology remains unknown.

Note: I cannot agree with this as this would put Malawin at the place of Bandar al Nub at 8 isba. So I keep it at 7 isba (as ibn Majid indicates) that is in the middle between (but on the East African coast) Sofala and Musanbigi; two places whose identification is correctly known.

 

The place that fits best this location is a bit north of Maintirana. A bit north of Maitirano are the last places where Swahili stone buildings were found. If further south Swahili lived; they would have had temporary housing only (build with perishable materials).

Note: And the old name for Maitirano is Kivinjana with Kivinja being a pure Swahili name.

 

Henri Douliot found in 1896; At the mouth of the Manoma 28km north of Maintirano Swahili ruins. And close to Anakao 20km north of Maintirano Swahili ruins with pottery sherds and at Ambiky on the Namala at 12km north of Maintirana again Swahili ruins.

Somewhere in that area must also have been Malawin.

 

Taken from: Journal du Voyage fait sur la côte ouest de Madagascar 1891-92 Henry Douliot

 

…. we turn northwest to go to Ambiky. Nearby are the remains of an Arab dwelling dating from a time when the Sakalava had not yet occupied the region. Because we know that the Sakalava came from the south and that they successively invaded Fiherenana, Ménabé and Mailaka. This house is in the middle of the forest on a hill from where one dominates the sea; there are only two sections of the wall left, the western one pierced by two large windows and the southern one 8 meters long and one cubit thick, the others are demolished. Everything is overgrown with vegetation; the lianas, the dioscorea have taken root between the rubble stones of the wall. A well now filled is a hundred meters north of the abandoned house known as Tranombazaha.

 

…….. There are traces of an old house on a sand dune, 5 kilometers north of Anakao, inside the mangrove area. The hill runs from south to north! to the east there is a pond, Andranolava, whose overflow bypasses it and goes to the south in the marshes, and, to the west, there is a wood of mangroves, sand dunes and the sea. Next to the now abandoned dwelling there are remains of terracotta pottery, in too small pieces to be of interest.

 

………….  there is a large sandy beach following which is a dune on which the village (Manomba) is built. …... The chief is absent, but the inhabitants gather, hold council and give me a present of an ox. While my men are celebrating, I am less happy than them, because I am not allowed to go botanize around, nor to climb the cliff which dominates the village and the sea by about thirty meters, nor to go see the ruins of an old village built of stone by the Vazaha, probably Arabs (Swahili). Manomba is inhabited by 100 Sakalava, 50 Makoa and 2 Indians.

(After the chief arrived) I also visited the old stone village which is buried under the trees and where there are still the ruins of three houses similar to those of Ambiky; I brought back some flowers.

 

Taken from: The History of Civilisation in North Madagascar - Pierre Vérin · 1986 ·

 

A site has been discovered near Manomba to the south of the mouth of the Manambao river. The place name Monimbam appears on the map of 1615, (that was discovered by Boxer) in the region where this site is located. The archaeological traces are to be found at the northern entrance of the delta at the mouth of the Manomba river. Fragments of celadon ware have been discovered in the coastal dunes and remains of an early building have been found about 200 m to the east. ………. (description of the building) ……….. a fragment of Chinese celadon ware and another fragment of orange-yellow Islamic pottery. Objects of the same kind as these three objects have also been found in the seventeenth century levels at Antsoheribory in the Bay of Boina.

 

Note: this is not old enough to be a port that was known to Ibn Majid (1470). It is waiting till further archaeological research is done.