The sights of the Boeny – The Bay of Boeny
BOENY - BOENY BAY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS (PART 1)
(Source : Pierre cylinder and Adrien mile. Notes preliminary excavations and surveys in July-August 1966. Bulletin of the Malagasy Academy – Volume XLIV-II)
ANTSOHERIBORY : a counter antalaotra from Northwestern Madagascar
Brief history of the counter and the research
Boina Bay, remote a little less of a 40 km, crow flies from Majunga, has been an important trade area frequented by the Islamized came from the East coast of Africa and South Western Asia.
In the early 16th century, the Portuguese were there met an important trading post that they bombarded (1).
From this period, the first trade relations with Europeans settled, relationships cut smoothly, as the Muslims of Madagascar revolt against the Portuguese to 1587.
Between 1613 and 1620, the island of Antsoheribory sees the visit and the Portuguese missionaries including Rev. father Luis Mariano installation attempts. II we give precious indications on the Muslim establishment of the islet where exists a mosque and shows us how it consisted of trade in areas more West for which it was the necessary intermediary with the outside world (2).
After the failure of the Portuguese installation, Boina Bay is going to be one of the hubs of trade where slaves held a growing place. Dubois, in his "travel to the Islands Dauphine or Madagascar and Bourbon. (1669-1674) reported in the Northwest of beautiful cities tombs, tanks and houses where inhabitants dress in Turkish. But it can just as well be Nosy Manja known then as Masselage-le-Vieux as opposed to the Masselage of the Boina Bay new.
A. Giri and his collaborators have often mixed the two Masselage and confusion increases with the Ross name which seems to have been also the name of a counter in the Bay of the Betsiboka.
Dupré Irshad gives a map of the Bay in 1667, as well as deer in 1683.
En 1672, the Dutch Shepherd Hoffman releases to Boina, and, four years later, the "Voorhout' ship of the same nationality there would have acquired slaves.
At the end of the 17th century, the city accepted the suzerainty of ANDRIAMANDISOARIVO and welcomes refugees from Nosy Manja (Masselage-le-Vieux) which is totally abandoned after the defeat of the last Sultan AMADI against the Sakalava.
(1) For the first Portuguese visits, see the texts of Corre, Fernand of Albuquerque, Barros, Castanueada, Faria y Sousa, in volume I of the Collection of ancient works on Madagascar, Volume I, Paris, Committee of Madagascar, 1903.
(2) Collection of ancient works Madagascar Tome II
