Its Inhabitants Are Christians and Sorcerers
An anecdote from the travels of Ibn al-Mujawir:
In the whole of the ocean, there is no island bigger or better than Socotra. It has date palms, cultivated areas, and fields
of sorghum and wheat. There are camels and cattle and thousands upon thousands of sheep. Water flows on the surface of the
ground, sweet and fresh, from a large river whose source gushes out, long and wide, from the mountains. More often than not,
this river provides an excess of fish for the sea. Aloes and dragon’s blood grow, watered by it. On the shores of the island,
there is much ambergris.
The inhabitants are Christians and sorcerers. One example of their sorcery is the following. Sayf al-Islam made ready five
warships to take the island. When they approached the island, it disappeared from sight. They patrolled up and down, up and
down, night and day for several days and nights, but found no sign of the island, nor had any news of it at all. So they returned
home in defeat.
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A warning from the learned geographer Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Muqaddasi:
The island of Usqutrah rises like a tower in the dark sea; it is a refuge for pirates, who are the terror of sailing ships
in these parts; and not until the island is cleared will they cease to be a cause of fear.