Note 177 — ARAB REFERENCES.1
Reading edition
Supára.Supára (Subárá, Sufára, or Surbáráh.)—The references to Subárá are doubtful as some seem to belong to Surabára the Tápti mouth and others to Sopára six miles north of Bassein. The first Arab reference to Subára belongs to Sopára. Al Masúdi’s (a.d. 915)177 reference is that in Saimúr (Cheval), Subára (Sopára), and Tána (Thána) the people speak the Láriyáh language, so called from the sea which washes the coast. On this coast Al Istakhri (a.d. 951)178 refers to Subára that is apparently to Surabára or Surat a city of Hind, four days from Kambáyah (Cambay).179