Note 75 — Chapter II · ÁHMEDÁBÁD KINGS. a.d. 1403–1573.

The fort of Daman was taken by the Portuguese in a.d. 1530, and, according to Portuguese accounts (Faria y Souza in Kerr’s Voyages, VI. 413) the country round was annexed by them in 1558. According to a statement in Bird’s History, 128, the districts surrendered by Changíz Khán contained 700 towns (villages) yielding a yearly revenue of £430,000 (Rs. 43,00,000). Sanján, since known as St. John’s Head (north latitude 20° 13′; east longitude 72° 47′), between Daman and Bassein, seems to be one of the two Sindáns, the other being in Kachh, mentioned by the ninth to twelfth century Arab geographers. According to Idrísi (Jaubert’s Edition, 172) the mainland Sindán was a great town with a large import and export trade and well peopled with rich warlike and industrious inhabitants. Idrísi’s (Elliot, I. 85) notice of an island of the same name to the east is perhaps a confused reference to the Kachh Sindán which is generally supposed to be the Sindán of the Arab geographers. In a.d. 842, Sindán then a city of some size, is mentioned by Al-Biláduri (Reinaud’s Fragments, 216–217) as having been taken by a Musalmán slave Fazl son of Máhán. This Fazl is related to have sent an elephant from Sindán to the Khalífah Al Maamún the Abbási (a.d. 813–833) and to have built an Assembly Mosque at Sindán. (Al-Biláduri in Elliot, I. 129.) ↑