Where is the marketplace of dragon's blood?

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By Chelsie Vandaveer

November 7, 2003

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Ancient sailors used seasonal winds, the monsoons, to navigate the Erythraean Sea*. The dry winter winds come out of the northeast; the wet summer winds come from the southwest. Shipping went with the winds. By the time of Alexander the Great (4^th century BCE), traders and merchants from India lived on Dvipa Sukhadhara, the Island of Bliss. Goods like cotton and silk textiles, pearls, cinnamon, black pepper, and fragrant woods came from India to the island.

Although Dvipa Sukhadhara offered little harbor for ships, its north coast is alee of the summer monsoons. It was a source of fresh water and a place where goods from Egypt, Aden, India, and Arabia were traded. The island produced medicinal plants—aloe (Aloe perryi), myrrh (Commiphora spp.), and island cinnabar or dragon's blood, resin from the dragon tree (Dracaena cinnabari). ("Paragraph 30", The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 1^st century, translated W.H. Schoff)

From The Herbal, 1633 edition.

The Dragon tree and fruit from The Herbal, 1633 edition.

Unlike the overland Silk Road, the sea route was shorter, faster, and kept goods out of the hands of various enemy empires, war lords, and brigands. It was advantageous to control the island and hence the trade. The Greeks took the island around 330 BCE; the name changed to Dioscorida. It is thought the name derived from the Dioscuri—Castor and Pollux. Greek and Roman sailors worshipped the twins for they were said to hold the power of the wind and waves.

The island is a place both isolated and strategic. The Arabic name is a memory of the trading days; the centuries of civilizations, of Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Indians, and in later times, of Portuguese, Spanish, and English sweeping over the island like the monsoons.

The Arabic, Suq, means marketplace, qatir or dragon's blood was the island's most unique trade good—Suq qatir, Soqotra, the marketplace of dragon's blood. ("A Historical Genealogy of Socotra as an Object of Mythical Speculation, Scientific Research & Development Experiment", Serge D. Elie, University of Sussex, Yemen Update 44, 2002)

*Erythraean Sea: In ancient times an all inclusive for the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the coastal waters of the Indian Ocean.

Earth's Ancient History is a fascinating website by L.C. Geerts of ancient texts, legends, and history. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a text written in the first century by an unknown Greek merchant. To read a translation of this ancient text, click on the link:

http://www.earth-history.com/India/periplus.htm

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killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Suggested Reading:

Why did Alexander take the island of bliss? Plants that Changed History - November 4, 2003
What are the dragon trees of Soqotra? Weird Plants - November 6, 2003
Where is the marketplace of dragon's blood? What's in a Name? - November 7, 2003
Dragon tree legend and lore Herbal Folklore - November 10, 2003
What is so witching about hazel? Weird Plants - March 11, 2004
What are witches' brooms? Weird Plants - October 31, 2002
Why was a legendary bird named for a palm? What's in a Name? - December 26, 2003

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