[95] +Kaikander+ has the other forms—Kekander, Kikander, Kaskandrus, Karkundrus, Karskandrus, Sasækander. This island, which is now called +Inderabia+, or +Andaravia+, is about four or five miles from the mainland, having a small town on the north side, where is a safe and commodious harbour. The other island mentioned immediately after is probably that now called Busheab. It is, according to Kempthorne, a low, flat island, about eleven miles from the mainland, containing a small town principally inhabited by Arabs, who live on fish and dates. The harbour has good anchorage even for large vessels. [96] The pearl oyster is found from Ras Musendom to the head of the Gulf. There are no famed banks on the Persian side, but near Bushire there are some good ones. [97] +Apostana+ was near a place now called +Schevar+. It is thought that the name may be traced in +Dahra+ +Ahbân+, an adjacent mountain ridge of which Okhos was probably the southern extremity. [98] This bay is that on which +Naban+ or +Nabend+ is now situated. It is not far from the river called by Ptolemy the Bagradas. The place abounds with palm-trees as of old. [99] +Gôgana+ is now +Konkan+ or +Konaun+. The bay lacks depth of water; a stream still falls into it—the Areôn of the text. To the north-west of this place in the interior lay +Pasargada+, the ancient capital of Persia, and the burial-place of Kyros, in the neighbourhood of Murghâb, a place to the N. E. of Shiraz (30° 24´ N. 56° 29´ E.). [100] The Sitakos has been identified with the Kara Agach, Mand, Mund or Kakee river, which has a course of 300 miles. Its source is near Kodiyan, which lies N. W. of Shiraz. At a part of its course it is called the Kewar River. The meaning of its name is _black wood_. In Pliny it appears as the Sitioganus. _Sitakon_ was probably the name as Nearkhos heard it pronounced, as it frequently happens that when a Greek writer comes upon a name like an oblique case in Greek, he invents a nominative for it. With regard to the form of the name in Pliny, ‘g’ is but a phonetic change instead of ‘k’. The ‘i’ is probably an error in transcription for ‘t’. The Sitakos is probably the Brisoana of Ptolemy, which can have no connexion with the later-mentioned Brizana of our author. See _Report on the Persian Gulf_ by Colonel Ross, lately issued. Pliny states that from the mouth of the Sitioganus an ascent could be made to Pasargada, in seven days; but this is manifestly an error. [101] The changes which have taken place along the coast have been so considerable that it is difficult to explain this part of the narrative consistently with the now existing state of things. [102] The peninsula, which is 10 miles in length and 3 in breadth, lies so low that at times of high tide it is all but submerged. The modern +Abu-Shahr+ or +Bushir+ is situated on it.