# Ocelis

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'''Ocelis''' or '''Okelis''' ({{langx|grc|Ὄκηλις ἐμπόριον/Okêlis emporion; and Ὤκηλις}}) was a port on the [Red Sea](/source/Red_Sea), on the [Arabian](/source/Arabian) side near or at [Bab al-Mandeb](/source/Bab_al-Mandeb), the [strait](/source/strait) separating the Red Sea from the [Gulf of Aden](/source/Gulf_of_Aden), part of the ancient reckoning of [Arabia Felix](/source/Arabia_Felix). It is placed by [Ptolemy](/source/Ptolemy) a little to the north of the straits of the Red Sea.<ref>{{Cite Ptolemy|1.7.4, 1.15.11, 6.7.7, 8.22.7}}</ref> It belonged to the [Elisari](/source/Elisari), and was subject to [Cholebus](/source/Cholebus).<ref>Hudson, ''Geog. Min.'' tom. i. p. 14; {{Cite Ptolemy|6.7.7}}</ref> The place also sometimes appears as '''Acila''' or '''Akila''' (Ἀκίλα).<ref>{{Cite Strabo|p. 769}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Pliny|6.23.26, 28, 32}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Ptolemy|6.7.7}}</ref>

Ocelis belonged to the South Arabian kingdom of Saba-Himyar and is known as a stop on the maritime route from [Egypt](/source/Egypt) to [India](/source/India) in the 1st centuries CE. In the 1st century, [Periplus Maris Erythraei](/source/Periplus_Maris_Erythraei) describes it as "not so much a port of trade as harbour, watering station, and the first place to put in for those sailing on".<ref name="Casson">Casson, L. 1989. The Periplus Maris Erythraei. Princeton: Princeton University Press.</ref>  [Pliny the Elder](/source/Pliny_the_Elder) reports their destination and describes Ocelis as the first stop on the sea journey from Egypt to India.<ref>{{Cite Pliny|6.104}}</ref>

Ocelis was visited by traders coming over from the African side on rafts with aromatics, myrrh, ivory and tortoise shell, this being the only report of African navigation in this work.<ref name="Casson" />

The site of Ocelis is tentatively identified as at [Khor Ghurayrah](/source/Khor_Ghurayrah) (Shaykh Sa'id) in [Yemen](/source/Yemen).<ref>{{Barrington Atlas|page=4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DARE|36124}}</ref>  During the 18th century, a port identified as Ocelis<ref>Alexander Macbean, [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_EqwBAAAAYAAJ_2/page/n17/mode/2up/search/ocelis "Acila"], ''A Dictionary of Ancient Geography'', London: G. Robinson and T. Cadell, 1773 {{oclc|642566361}}.</ref> was known as ''Ziden''.  It was described as a settlement of 500 houses with over a hundred ships in the anchorage.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=PZReAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA167 "An extract of a journey through part of Arabia Felix"], p. 167 in ''A Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages'', London: John Ray, 1705 {{oclc|219498067}}.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

*Nobbe, C. F. A., ed. 1843–45. Claudii Ptolemaei Geographia. 3 vols. Lipsiae (Leipzig): Carolus Tauchnitus
*Rackham, H. 1997–2001. Natural history: in ten volumes / Pliny; with an English translation by H. Rackham, W. H. S. Jones, D. E. Eichholz. 10 vols. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Original edition, 1938–1963.

{{DGRG|title=Acila}}
{{DGRG|title=Ocelis}}

{{coord|12.766503|N|43.65096|E|display=title|format=dms|source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/36124}}

Category:Ports and harbours of the Red Sea
Category:Gulf of Aden
Category:Former populated places in Yemen
Category:Ancient Greek geography of Arabia

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{{MEast-hist-stub}}

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