RAS HAFÛN,Somali,East Galla Lands,Africa

Hafun (Xaafuun) is a small low-lying peninsula in the Bari region of northern Somalia. It is sometimes known as Ras Hafun or Raas Xaafuun, and "Hafun" also refers to the small community on the peninsula. The promontory juts out into the Indian Ocean, where it is known as Cape Hafun and is the easternmost point on the African continent. Ras Hafun is believed to be the location of the ancient trade center of "Opone". Opone was mentioned by an anonymous merchant in the 1st century CE in his Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Ancient Egyptian, Roman and Persian Gulf pottery has been recovered from the site by an archaeological team from the University of Michigan. Opone is in the thirteenth entry of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, which in part states: And then, after sailing four hundred stadia along a promontory, toward which place the current also draws you, there is another market-town called Opone, into which the same things are imported as those already mentioned, and in it the greatest quantity of cinnamon is produced, (the arebo and moto), and slaves of the better sort, which are brought to Egypt in increasing numbers; and a great quantity of tortoiseshell, better than that found elsewhere. In Ancient times, Opone operated as a port of call for merchants from Phonecia, Egypt, Greece, Persia, Yemen, Nabataea, Azania, the Roman Empire and elsewhere. Opone was uniquely suited to being a center of trade, posessing a strategic location right along the route from Azania. As early as 50 AD it is well known as a center for the Cinnamon trade, along with the trading of cloves and other spices, ivory, exotic animal skins and inscence. Merchants from as far afield as Indonesia and Malaysia came to Opone to trade spices, silks and exotic goods, before departing south into Azania or north to Yemen or Egypt on their long trade routes that spanned the length of the Indian Ocean's rim.

1890s Wood Engraving Antique Map

Approximate Overall Size: 7 X 10 1/2 inches

CONDITION: Book Plate INTEXT MAP - Excellent Condition. Beautiful with excellent detail. There is Text on Front and Back Side.