Note 85 — GHÁNAH — Aúdaghost — Aúlíl.

“Gualata, que otros llaman Ganata.” Marmol, III. fol. 21 v. It is hardly necessary to observe, that, in the orthography of Southern Europe, Gualata represents our Walata: “Gualata o Ganata,” (I. fol. 17.) “Vled Vodey andan en los desiertos que estan entre Iguaden y Ganata; son señores de Iguaden, y el Rey Negro de Ganata les paga cierto tributo,” &c. (I. fol. 39.) “Alarabes llamados Udaya, y por otro nombre Vled Vodey, que moran el desierto de Lybia que está entre esta poblacion (Guaden) y Gualata reyno de negros.” (III. fol. 3.) “En Gelofe, Geneúa, Tombuto, Meli, Gago y Ganata, hablan una lengua llamada Zungay.” (I. fol. 44.) This last sentence is taken from Leo (pt. I. c. 11), who, however, writes Gualata. Marmol, in his first volume, seems to prefer Ganata, but, in the third, he generally follows Leo with little deviation. When Ali Bey (Badia) speaks of caravans going “from Sús and Táfílélt to Ghánah and Tomboktú,” (Travels in Barbary, &c. I. 45,) does he inadvertently mix ancient with modern times—his reading with his recent intelligence?—or does he mean by Ghánah, Ghanata, that is, Walata? What was surmised in Note 6 respecting the predominance gained by the analogies of the Berber language over those of the Arabic, and the change of the contingent t̤ into the absolute t, seems confirmed by the MS. extract of El Bekrí published in the Rec. de Voy. II. That MS., however inferior in other respects, is yet good authority on the subject of the relation subsisting between ancient Arabic and Moorish orthography; and we find that it writes Ghánat, Sámat, and Ṭáḳat, for Ghánat̤ or Ghánah, Sámat̤, Ṭákat̤, &c.