View source for Physics:Frasilah

A '''frasilah''' is a historical weight unit that was used in the 19th century on the island of Zanzibar and in eastern Africa. A frasilah is equivalent to about {{convert|35|lb}}. This weight unit was used mainly by the Arabs involved in the [[Finance:Ivory trade|ivory trade]] to weigh the mass of elephant tusks and other goods used in the trade, such as beads, cloth and brass wire. In 1871, a frasilah of ivory could be purchased inland for 20 US$ (around 500 US$ in 2011) in goods and sold in Zanzibar for about 60 US$ (around 1 500 US$ in 2011).
==Sources ==

* How I Found Livingstone: Travels, Adventures and Discoveries in Central Africa: Including an Account of Four Months' Residence with Dr. Livingstone by Sir Henry Morton Stanley [https://books.google.com/books?id=t2cBAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false]
* The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, Volume 29 By Royal Geographical Society [https://books.google.com/books?id=7Cs7AQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false]
* The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration By Sir Richard Francis Burton [https://books.google.com/books?id=bMwcAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false]

[[Category:Units of mass]]

{{Cleanup_bare_URLs|date=2021}}
{{Unreferenced|date=2021}}
{{Sourceattribution|Frasilah}}