Though the identification of the people Ibn Fadlān describes is uncertain, they are generally assumed to be Volga Vikings; the traders were likely of Scandinavian origin while their crews also included Finns, Slavs, and others. The Rūs appear as traders who set up shop on the river banks nearby the Bolğar camp.
Full Answer
What did Ibn Fadlan want from the Vikings?
Furs VIKINGS: What product did Ibn Fadlan want from the Vikings? the execution of the slave girl, giving her an "intoxicating beverage" VIKINGS: What elements of the Viking funeral would have disturbed Ibn Fadlan most?
Why did Ahmad ibn Fadlan leave town?
Ahmad ibn-Fadlan: Letters On the Vikings (NOTE: Ibn Fadlan was employed by the 'Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad when he was accused of an illicit love affair that would ruin his reputation and his career. He agreed to leave town on a mission to open diplomacy with the Bulgars, as a way of getting out of the public eye, and out of possible scandal.
What was Russia called in Ibn Fadlan's time?
Russia in Ibn Fadlan's time had not yet earned its present name, though the people who came to be known as "Rus" had already arrived. They were Vikings, part of the vast group of nations that had burst onto the pages of history late in the eighth century.
Why did Ibn Fadlan travel to the Volga Bulgars?
As for the purpose of his journey, it was a diplomatic mission: the actual leader of the group was a eunuch named Susan al-Rassi, and Ibn Fadlan went as a religious advisor charged with educating the Volga Bulgars on Islamic law.
How did Ahmad fadlan describe the Vikings?
Good looking, filthy and crazy. The aforementioned writer Ahmad ibn Fadlan was not fully repulsed by the Scandinavians he met: I have never seen more perfect physiques than theirs – they are like palm trees, are fair and reddish, and do not wear the tunic or the caftan.
What elements of the Viking funeral would have disturbed in fadlan most?
What elements of the Viking funeral would have disturbed Ibn Fadlan most? The execution of a slave girl, giving an "intoxicating beverage."
What did Ahmad ibn Fadlan discover?
His account is most notable for providing a detailed description of the Volga Vikings, including eyewitness accounts of life as part of a trade caravan and witnessing a ship burial. He also notably described the lifestyle of the Oghuz turks while the Khazaria, Cumans, and Pechnegs were still around.
Where did Ibn Fadlan meet Vikings?
Ahmad Ibn Fadlan met with the Vikings in Volga Bulgaria. His chronicle called Risala includes detailed information and observations about them. The travel book of Ibn Fadlan became known first via quotations in al-Tusi's book and then in Yaqut al-Hamawi's book Mujam al-udaba (Dictionary of Writers).
What did Vikings do when someone dies?
Cremation (often upon a funeral pyre) was particularly common among the earliest Vikings, who were fiercely pagan and believed the fire's smoke would help carry the deceased to their afterlife. Once cremated, the remains also might be buried, usually in an urn.
What happens when a Viking chief died?
The body of the chieftain was placed in a boat that had been drawn up on land. He was surrounded with goods and a human sacrifice was carried out. Then the entire boat was burned. In Norse Mythology, the funeral of the god Balder also involved placing the deceased in a burning boat.
What did Muslims call Vikings?
the MajusIn the Muslim sources, the Vikings were referred with the epithet the Majus ("fire-worshipper": a term initially used for Zoroastrians in the East).
Did the Vikings come to Africa?
England wasn't the only place where the Vikings made themselves known: they sailed as far south as North Africa, as far west as Canada, and into the Middle East, Russia, France, and Spain (see a map).
What was the key to Viking exploration?
The key to their successful raids was their ships, the speedy drakkar, technically superior to those of their rivals. In addition, they were able to orient themselves on the sea without a compass by using solar stones that allowed them to know where the sun was on overcast days.
What did the Arabs call the Vikings?
RusiyyahSo the Arab traveller Ahmad Ibn Fadlan recorded his meeting more than 1,000 years ago with a strange race he called the “Rusiyyah”, now commonly known as Vikings.
What did Vikings call Africa?
SerklandIn Old Norse sources, such as sagas and runestones, Serkland (also Særkland, Srklant, Sirklant, Serklat, etc.)
Did the Vikings ever go to Egypt?
Vikings invaded Pisa in Italy and according to an Arab source, they reached Alexandria, Egypt.
Why were Vikings buried with their possessions?
In Norway, people tended to be buried with their everyday earthly possessions – farming or handicraft tools, kitchen utensils and items for personal hygiene. Usually the dead person was also equipped with food and drink for the journey to the afterworld.
Is it possible to have a Viking funeral?
Unfortunately, Viking funerals are basically illegal everywhere in the U.S. There are two spots in Colorado where you can burn people's remains outdoors, but they only allow 12 funerals a year.
What are funerals like in Norway?
Normally, burial or cremation takes place within ten days of the death. For cremation, the ashes must be buried or scattered within six months of the death. The funeral is arranged by the relative with the right to arrange the funeral (gravferdsrett).
Are Viking funerals legal anywhere?
“Although having a 'Hollywood style' Viking funeral would be logistically impossible and completely illegal, having an authentic Viking funeral is actually legal. Cremation or burial on land or sea to emulate Viking funeral rites and customs is a real possibility in the USA.”
What did Ibn Fadlan write about the Vikings?
In some places, he appears to have exaggerated. For instance, he wrote that the Vikings all washed from a common bowl, and that it was typical for them to blow their noses and spit into the same basin in which they would wash their hands and faces. This was probably hyperbole occasioned by the shock with which a medieval Arab, to whom cleanliness was a necessity of religious faith as well as of health, would have viewed the habits of unhygienic Europeans.
What tribes did Ibn Fadlan encounter along the way?
They skirted the Caspian's northern shore, finally reaching the delta of the Volga River. Among the tribes Ibn Fadlan encountered along the way were the Oghuz Turks on the eastern shore of the Caspian, ancestors of the people who inhabit modern-day Turkmenistan.
What was the purpose of Ibn Fadlan's mission?
Hence the purpose of Ibn Fadlan's mission: to explain Islamic law to the recently converted Volga Bulgars. The Volga Bulgars had moved into Eastern Europe from the frontiers of China during the sixth and seventh centuries, part of a great wave of migration that brought various Turkish peoples westward.
What was the name of the Turkic nation that settled along the eastern shores of the Volga River?
By contrast, the Volga Bulgars, as their name implied, had settled along the eastern shores of the Volga River in what is now Russia. Another notable Turkic nation in the region were the Khazars, who in the eighth century had converted to Judaism. The Khazars lived on the southern end of the Volga, and as early as 568 had sent an ambassador ...
When did the Volga Bulgars arrive in Baghdad?
Finally, on May 12, 922, the group arrived at the Volga Bulgars' capital on the shores of the great river. There they were presented to the Bulgar khan, and Ibn Fadlan read aloud a letter from the caliph before presenting the khan with presents from the ruler in Baghdad. But the Volga Bulgars, though they provided much of ...
What were the ways of the Varangians?
The ways of the Varangians—for instance, their practices with regard to sex, hygiene, and religion —seem to have filled Ibn Fadlan, a highly educated member of what was perhaps the world's most advanced civilization at the time, with a weird fascination.
Who was the leader of the Volga Bulgars?
As for the purpose of his journey, it was a diplomatic mission: the actual leader of the group was a eunuch named Susan al-Rassi, and Ibn Fadlan went as a religious advisor charged with educating the Volga Bulgars on Islamic law.
Who is Ahmad Ibn Fadlan?
879–960) commonly known as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, was a 10th-century Arab Muslim traveler, famous for his account of his travels as a member of an embassy of the Abbasid caliph, al-Muqtadir of Baghdad, ...
What does Ibn Fadlan describe the Rus?
Ibn Fadlan describes the Rus as "perfect" physical specimens and the hygiene of the Rūsiyyah as disgusting and shameless, especially regarding to sex (which they perform openly even in groups), and considers them vulgar and unsophisticated.
What are the people in the book of Ibn Fadlan?
A substantial portion of Ibn Fadlan's account is dedicated to the description of a people he called the Rūs (روس) or Rūsiyyah. Though the identification of the people Ibn Fadlān describes is uncertain, they are generally assumed to be Volga Vikings; the traders were likely of Scandinavian origin while their crews also included Finns, Slavs, and others. The Rūs appear as traders who set up shop on the river banks nearby the Bolğar camp. They are described as having bodies tall as (date) palm-trees, with blond hair and ruddy skin. Each is tattooed from "the tips of his toes to his neck" with dark blue or dark green "designs" and all men are armed with an axe, sword and long knife.
What was Ibn Fadlan's mission?
The Bulgar king had invited religious instruction as a gesture of homage to the Abbasids in exchange for financial and military support, and Ibn Fadlan's mission as a faqih was one of proselytization as well as diplomacy.
How far did Ibn Fadlan's delegation cover?
All told, the delegation covered some 4000 kilometers (2500 mi). Ibn Fadlan's envoy reached the Volga Bulgar capital on 12 May 922 (12 muharram AH 310). When they arrived, Ibn Fadlan read aloud a letter from the caliph to the Bulgar Khan and presented him with gifts from the caliphate.
When was Ibn Fadlan sent to Baghdad?
Ibn Fadlan was sent from Baghdad in 921 to serve as the secretary to an ambassador from the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir to the iltäbär (vassal-king under the Khazars) of the Volga Bulgaria, Almış . On 21 June 921 (11 safar AH 309), a diplomatic party led by Susan al-Rassi, a eunuch in the caliph's court, left Baghdad.
Who was the Persian traveler who was more favourable to the Rus?
In that, his account contrasts with that of the Persian traveler Ibn Rustah, whose impressions of the Rus were more favourable, although it has been attributed to a possibly intentional mistranslation with the original texts being more in line with Ibn Fadlan's narrative.
Who was the king of the Vandals?
Gaiseric was king of the Vandals, who captured both Carthage and Rome and defeated the efforts by emperor Majorian and Basiliscus to overthrow him. Eudocia was the daughter of Roman emperor, Valentinian III, who was bethrothed to Gaiseric's son and when she did not marry him, after the sack of Rome, she was carried to Carthage to consummate the marriage.
Why did the philosopher draw the figures?
He would Dissect them and then draw them so that he could study them to better understand the human figure and get proportions right. He end up learning how people work and he gained insights to help humanity.
Who felt he had to free the city of Megiddo from the invaders?
BRONZE AGE WARFARE: Tutmoses III of Egypt, felt he had to free the city of Megiddo from the invaders. Why was Megiddo important?
What tactic did the Greeks use in the Persian Wars?
PERSIAN WARS: The Greeks use a new tactic - the phalanx. What does that involve and what advantages does it give?
Who was the new Pharaoh in Bronze Age?
BRONZE AGE WARFARE: Tutmoses was a new pharaoh. How did he prove he was able to lead his people?
