'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎527] (558/582)

CAPE OF RAS-EL-HAD. ^7
trations of ancient history, which form so large a portion of this
voyage through the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
The position of Ras-el-Had, as the easternmost point of all
Arabia, is most distinctly marked by the author of the Periplus of
the Erythrean Sea, who, on describing the southern and south-east
ern coast, after passing the islands of Zenobius and the larger one
of Sarapis, or the islands of Curia-Muria, and Mazeira, says, that
on approaching the Gulf of Persia, you here suddenly change
your course to the north. This is literally true at Ras-el-Had, and
nowhere else upon the coast; for Ras-el-Had is the extreme point
east of all Arabia, as Korodamon is in Ptolemy. 4 If I had found,'
says Dr. Vincent, ' that the monsoon was divided by this cape, as
it is by Gardefan, I should have sought for an etymology in Greek,
as the divider or subduer of the west wind; but I can learn nothing
of the monsoon : and Corns, notwithstanding its meaning in Latin,
I cannot find as the name of a wind in Greek. # The name of this
cape is written and pronounced ^ ^ Ras-el-Hhadd, which,
when written ^ in Arabic, and ^ in Persian, signifies in both
languages, 4 a boundary, a limit, a definition, distinction, an impedi
ment, a check, a goal for racers,'—in all which senses, it would
mean either the eastern 4 boundary' or extent of Arabia, or, as is
literally the case, the northern 4 limit' of the monsoon, which ends
the moment a ship gets round it, as it does at Gardefan : and thus
the Greek etymology, as a divider or a subduer of the west wind, is
perfectly consistent with its present Arabic name, and, what is of
greater importance still, with the more marked and permanent
features given to it by nature.
Beyond Ras-el-Had, to the westward, are the islands of Cu
ria-Muria. Edrissi calls the bay in which these islands are
situated, Giun-al-Hascisc,t (pronounced Hashish.) In another
place he makes Hasec the city, and A1 Hascisc the bay; and the
principal town of the Periplus in this bay is Asikho, which is but
* Dissertation, vol. ii. p. 351. t Sinus Herbarum, Al Edris.i p. ^2.