37 This island is a convenient place for ships to embark supplies when they pass through either on their way to or from Jeddah. Afonso de Albuquerque captured this island for the Portuguese King. He spent several days there repairing thefleet and then he split it up in order to leave the Red Sea again. He intended to go to Jeddah, but he did not have enough time for that. When his successor Lopo Soares left the port of Jeddah he found a fortress by the waters’edge. This fortress had been built by the Turks when they were there. As he wished to leave and saw the military disadvantage of this building, he ordered that it be knocked down. This island is full of wells which are used to water the passing ships. The city of Aden When one leaves the Red Sea through the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb (which is the narrowest point through which all ships have to pass) one enters the broad gulf of Aden. After passing some villages of Moors which belong to the Kingdom of Aden, one comes to the popolous and magnificent city of Aden. It has its own King. The city has a fine seaport which deals and trades rich goods. It is very beautiful, as the houses are tall and built with stone and mortar. They have high roof-terraces and many windows. The streets are well laid-out and surrounded by walls. The fortresses have towers and square turrets with battlements, just like in Portugal. This lays on a peninsula between the mountains and the sea. The mountain-face is hewn in such a way on the land-side, that makes the only way of reaching the main land by one passage alone. This is what they use. They cannot come or go through any other passage. On the top
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