Avalites ( grc, Αὐαλίτης or ) was a small port in what is today

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

that dominated trade in the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

and Mediterranean.

Location

There has been a series of disputes as to the location of Avalites According to the ''

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' ( grc, Περίπλους τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς Θαλάσσης, ', modern Greek '), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and ...

'', Avalites was located west of Adulis near the strait of

Bab-el-Mandeb The Bab-el-Mandeb (Arabic: , , ) is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Name The strait derives its name from the dangers attendin ...

. Now called

Zeila Zeila ( so, Saylac, ar, زيلع, Zayla), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila (or Hawilah) with the Bibli ...

, it is located in western

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

, near the border with

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

. Avalites was a small port located in the east of

Barbara Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously as ...

, very close to neighbouring Arabian city-states such as Muza and

Ocelis Ocelis or Okelis ( grc, Ὄκηλις ἐμπόριον, Okêlis emporion; and Ὤκηλις) was a port on the Red Sea, on the Arabian side near or at Bab al-Mandeb, the strait separating the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden, part of the ancient reck ...

. However, early Arab historians disagree with ''Periplus, they say'' that Avalites wasn’t located in the Barbra region, but it was located in the heart of Axum,

Assab Assab or Aseb (, ) is a port city in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea. It is situated on the west coast of the Red Sea. Languages spoken in Assab are predominantly Afar, Tigrinya, and Arabic. Assab is known for its large market, beaches an ...

. ''Periplus'' mentions that Avalites was the first port in the Barbar region, followed by Malao, Mundus and Mosylon. Jewish traveller

Benjamin Tudela Benjamin of Tudela ( he, בִּנְיָמִין מִטּוּדֶלָה, ; ar, بنيامين التطيلي ''Binyamin al-Tutayli'';‎ Tudela, Kingdom of Navarre, 1130 Castile, 1173) was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe, Asia, a ...

identified Avalites as a possible location of Havila.

Origins

The people of Avalites were probably proto-

Somalis The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...

, called Barbaras. Al-Waqidi described the Barbar as

Sudanese people The demographics of Sudan include the Sudanese people ( ar, سودانيون) and their characteristics, Sudan, including population density, Ethnic group, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspe ...

who used elephants in warfare, neighbours of the Bujuwa and Nuba. He notes that they came from Kush and their land extended from Aswan to modern

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Political structure

Each port city on the northern East African coast had its own tribal chief and its own unmistakable character. Some were unwelcoming to the Romans, others welcoming, depending on the conditions and perspectives of the locals.

Collapse

By the early 2nd century, Avalites was destroyed by the Himyarite Kingdom. According to Al-Waqidi, Nuh Ifriqs, expanded his kingdom all the way to the Amazigh, and Barbaria. During the mid-2nd century, King

Charibael Charibael ( Sabaean: ''Karibʾīl'', "Blessed by God", or "Following God") was a South Arabian ruler described in and contemporary with the 1st-centuryAD ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea''. Name The two Greek manuscripts of the ''Periplus'' give ...

of Himyar is said to have extended his influence on the African coast from Avalites to Rhapta. According to ''Periplus'', Avalites, Mondus, and Mosullon were unruly and unjust, whilst the people of Malao were peaceful.

Trade

According to ''Periplus'', the Barbaras used ships called ''baden'', similar to the Arab ''

beden The Beden, badan, or alternate type names Beden-seyed and Beden-safar, is a fast, ancient Somali single or double-masted maritime vessel and ship, typified by its towering stern-post and powerful rudder. It is also the longest surviving sewn boa ...

'', to transport their cargo. The people of Avalites used rafts to cross the Red Sea to trade with the Romans. Avalites exported spices,

myrrh Myrrh (; from Semitic, but see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus ''Commiphora''. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh mi ...

, incense, and ivory, and mostly traded with the Arabians of Muza, but also with other small ports in southern Arabia. The Somali coast was in important part of the global incense trade, alongside

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, South Asia, and

southern Arabia South Arabia () is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jizan, Al-Bahah, and 'Asi ...

on the Red Sea. Incense was widely used in the Mediterranean region and all of Europe, used for religious and everyday purposes. This made incense a noteworthy commodity in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

trade.

References