Dahra
Dahra is a major port on the Ruby Sea, the closest to the large population of the Lower Kingdom. Many merchants transfer their goods to caravans here for the trip up the coast and over to Hermopolis and nearby cities. Those heading to the area of Menefet may choose to sail through the Canal of the Pharaohs and then travel south from Bastus, but that may also involve transferring goods depending on the size of the ship involved.
At one time, ships intended for use in the Ruby Sea were built near the Sea of Baal and sailed up the Stygian, then taken apart and carried to Dahra where they were reconstructed. Since the construction of the canal in the 15th Dynasty, any ships other than the largest can simply travel from one sea to the other. In addition, due to the increase in trade with countries farther south, appropriate wood for shipbuilding is available through trade there and the large oceangoing ships for the Ruby Sea and the Great Ocean Ûthaf are built at Ipret-Isus.
The area around Dahra is also the source of porphyry, a rare deep purple stone used in sculptures and architecture. The Hyperboreans called it imperial porphyry and used it in many of their important buildings and statues in Libynos. (It is unknown if they used it elsewhere; it has not yet been identified in any other areas.) The stone is used in special locations in Khemit, of course, but is also exported to Baalthaaz and even to Jaati. No other source of imperial porphyry is known.
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