A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar in the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century

The volume offers a rare window into the early sixteenth‑century world of Portuguese exploration, compiled by a pilot who sailed the Indian Ocean soon after Magellan’s voyage. It charts the coastlines of East Africa and Malabar with vivid detail, from the shape of harbours to the appearance of towns, markets and the peoples who lived there. The modern translation untangles a cramped, unpunctuated manuscript, making the original observations clear for today’s listeners.

Listeners will hear lively accounts of Swahili trading centers, spice‑laden ports, and the customs and religions observed along the shorelines, alongside practical notes on tides, winds and navigation that guided the sailors of the age. A helpful introduction and scholarly notes place these remarks in the wider context of early global trade and cultural exchange. The result is an intimate travelogue that brings the colour and curiosity of the era to life.