_ 126 _ heroic, tragic, even in an unpropitious climate, amorous, as the best narrated in history or romance. Where else in the world was there a Muslim queen who had renounced her religion in order to marry a Portuguese nobleman, to die later of the despair of love when her husband was away on duty, having left her for only a few months? Vasco da Gama’s pilot also originated from the Persian Gulf, and it is only now that we realise what good fortune Vasco da Gama had in securing his services, for Ahmed Ibn Majid is still regarded today by the Arabs as “a lion of the seas”, and the most skilful and learned pilot of all time. It is in the Gulf itself that we an best appreciate the stature of men like Albuquerque, for we have personally experienced the terrible climate they had to stand. The Gulf was also the setting for almost all the great feats of that indomitable man, as much feared as he was admired, known by the name of “Rufrero” or even “Roy Brother” by the English of the East India Company. It was in these waters that Nuno Álvares Botelho a great navigator and a noble character sailed frequently. But, I shall be asked, do they have anything in common with the gigantic oil tankers which majestically furrow the waters of these parts, or with the rich Arabs, full of dignity and dressed in immaculate silk robes? Are there still any
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy