14 recorded and cautiously kept, and often with secrecy. Today, documents of this nature are kept in the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo or in other important libraries. The Arabic Gulf and its neighbouring regions stand out among the areas which were most visited, and which underwent missions of diverse purpose. The crews of the Portuguese Áeets voyaged through and fro from the mouth of the Hormuz straits to Basra from the start of the 16th century, recording a great number of toponyms like Julfar, Sharjah, Bahrain, Muscat and Qatif, adding descriptions of the peoples and of the wealth that was offered by the regions. The “Book of Duarte Barbosa” is the main source for the knowledge of this region, circa 1514 -1515. One cannot but be impressed by the care the Author underwent to register in his text the greatest number of data about places, islands, products, tribes and their chiefs. This description by Duarte Barbosa seeks the naked truth and cares nothing for any other end. It is a document of the start of the 16th century in which the Author pursues strict observance to the truth in plain terms.
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