Ibn Fadlan's Journey to Russia: A Tenth-Century Traveler from Baghad to the Volga River

by Ahmad Ibn Fadlan

Overview

This is the first English translation of the famous Risala, letters by the tenth-century traveler Ibn Fadlan, one of the great medieval travelers in world history, akin to Ibn Battuta. Ibn Fadlan was an Arab missionary sent by the Caliph in Baghdad to the king of the Bulghars. He journeyed from Baghdad to Bukhara in Central Asia and then continued across the desert to the town of Bulghar, near present Kazan. He describes the tribes he met on his way and gives an account of their customs. His is the earliest account of a meeting with the Vikings, called Rus, who had reached the Volga River from Sweden. His detailed description of the Rus, or Rusiya as he calls them, has produced much discussion about their origins, sexual moral standards, customs, treatment of slaves and women, burial traditions, and trading habits. The story of his travels has fascinated scholars and even prompted Michael Crichton to write the popular novel Eaters of the Dead, which was made into a film entitled The 13th Warrior.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558763661
Publisher:	Wiener, Markus Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/01/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	174
Sales rank:	941,472
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Glossary of Terms and Titles
Chapter I: The Time and the Man
Chapter II: His Book and Geography
Chapter III: Translation of His Travels
The Rus
The Khazars
Chapter IV: Commentary on the Translation
The itinerary through the realm of the Caliphate
Remarks on Khwarazm
The Turkic tribes
Further itinerary of the trip
The Bulghars or Saqaliba
The Rus
The Khazars
Aftermath of the embassy
Appendix A
Other Muslim Accounts of the North
The Strange Things of Creation by Qazwini
The Tufhat al-Bab of Abu Hamid al-Mazini al-Garanati
Commentary
Appendix B
General Remarks on Nomads and Conversion
Appendix C
Byzantine and Iranian Commercial Rivalry
Appendix D
Merchants in Inner Asia in Pre-Islamic Times
Appendix E
Byzantine and Sasanian Trade with Northeastern Russia
Bibliography
Illustration Sources
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Especially significant are the descriptions of burial customs, which help specialists to draw reliable ethnological parallels. The reconstruction of historical trading connections is another attraction of this edition. Highly recommended.

Choice

The importance of this volume also speaks to our present geopolitical concerns. . Ibn Fadlan's journey through Central Asia during this formative period counters this fallacy by foregrounding the ongoing and necessary negotiation of culture, ethnicity, language, and religion in an economic and political context.
— Bernadette Andrea

Middle East Studies Association Bulletin