What is Ahmad Fadlan known for?
Ahmad ibn Fadlan ibn Al-Abbas ibn Rashid ibn Hammad was a 10th century Muslim Arab writer and traveller who led an embassy to the king of the Volga Bulgars. His account is most known for providing a description of the Volga Vikings, including an eye-witness account of a ship burial.
What did Ibn Fadlan write about?
In his Rihla/Risala (travel narrative, account or journal), Ibn Fadlan, who in the tenth century, accompanied a mission from the Caliph al-Muktadir to the Volga Bulgars, describes his experiences and the people and places he visited; the Khazzars, and the manners and customs of the Rus. Figure 1.
Who were Ibn Fadlan’s Rusiyyah?
A substantial part of Ibn Fadlan’s account is dedicated to the description of a people he called the Rūs or Rusiyyah. Most scholars identify them with the Rus’ or Varangians, which would make Ibn Fadlan’s account one of the earliest portrayals of Vikings.
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.
What did the Arabs trade with the Vikings?
“The relationship was primarily one of trade,” says Prof Montgomery. “The Vikings were obsessed with silver dirhams coined in Muslim lands. They traded weapons, furs and slaves for money.”
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.
Why is Ibn Fadlan significant?
Ibn Fadlan was a scholar and intellectual, an expert in the finer points of Islamic law, and in the late 10th Century he was deployed by the Caliph as part of a delegation to the Volga Bulgars – ancestors of contemporary Bulgarians who settled in parts of modern-day Russia, and who had converted to Islam.
Where did Ahmad ibn Fadlan explore?
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.
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).
What is the meaning of Ibn?
son ofson of (used in Arabic personal names)
What is Ibn Fadlan's primary 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.
How did Ibn Fadlan describe the Western people?
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.
How did Vikings sail to Black Sea?
The Swedish Vikings in particular travelled eastwards. From the trading town of Birka and from Gotland they sailed across the Baltic, then along the East European and Russian rivers, reaching as far as the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Did the Vikings trade with Baghdad?
They traded eastward into Russia and south as far as the Arab lands, even reaching Baghdad. They traded the riches of the north – timber, iron, furs, amber, whale and walrus ivory, and animal skins – for silver and gold, jewels, glass, wine, salt, and slaves.
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).
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).
Why does Ibn Fadlan stop in Bukhara?
Ibn Fadlan waits in Bukhara for twenty-eight days before concluding that to wait any longer would be to risk the cold of winter and prevent further travel, and so they leave for Khwarazm.
When was Ahmad ibn Fadlan born?
877 ADAhmad ibn Fadlan / Date of birth
What is Ahmed Fahdlan original occupation?
What was Ibn's profession before being exiled? Ibn was a poet.
How did the Vikings get to the Volga River?
From Aldeigjuborg, the Rus could travel up the Volkhov River to Novgorod, then to Lake Ilmen and further along the Lovat River. Taking their boats around 3 kilometers over a portage, they reached the sources of Volga.
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.
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.
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.
What was the purpose of Ibn Fadlan's expedition?
In part it was a political/martial mission in that the expedition was meant to collect finances for building a fortress to protect the Volga Bulgars against the Jewish Khazar raids.
What is the name of the people Ibn Fadlan described?
A substantial part of Ibn Fadlan’s account is dedicated to the description of a people he called the Rūs or Rusiyyah. Most scholars identify them with the Rus’ or Varangians, which would make Ibn Fadlan’s account one of the earliest portrayals of Vikings.
What does Ibn Fadlan describe the Rus?
Ibn Fadlan describes the Rus as having perfect bodies, with high cheekbones in the face. In contrast to their physical beauty, he describes the hygiene of the Rūsiyyah as disgusting (while also noting with some astonishment that they comb their hair every day) and considers them vulgar and unsophisticated.
Why does Ahmad refuse mead?
Critchton and the producers of the movie show Ahmad ibn Fadlan as a womanizer and lax in his religion to the point that when he is offered mead he refuses because “it’s not permissible to consume the fermentation of grapes”, when he is told it’s made from honey he readily accepts it!
When did the Ibn Fadhlan leave Baghdad?
The embassy left Baghdad on June 21, 921 (11 Safar 309 H). It reached the Bulgars after much hardship on May 12, 922 (12 Muharram 310 H). Until today, this day is an official religious holiday in modern Tatarstan. The journey took Ibn Fadhlan from Baghdad to Bukhara, to Khwarizm (south of the Aral Sea). Although promised safe passage by the Oghuz warlord, or Kudarkin, they were waylaid by Oghuz bandits but luckily were able to bribe their attackers. They spent the winter in Jurjaniya before travelling north across the Ural River until they reached the towns of the Bulgars at the three lakes of the Volga north of the Samara bend.
Who was Ahmad Ibn Fadlan?
Wikipedia. Ahmad ibn Fadlan ibn Al-Abbas ibn Rashid ibn Hammad was a 10 th century Muslim Arab writer and traveller who led an embassy to the king of the Volga Bulgars. His account is most known for providing a description of the Volga Vikings, including an eye-witness account of a ship burial. Not much is known of him in terms ...
Where did Ibn Fadhlan travel?
The journey took Ibn Fadhlan from Baghdad to Bukhara, to Khwarizm (south of the Aral Sea). Although promised safe passage by the Oghuz warlord, or Kudarkin, they were waylaid by Oghuz bandits but luckily were able to bribe their attackers.
What did Ibn Fadlan describe?
Ibn Fadlan describes very extensively the populations that live in the region, their trades, manners, clothing, diets, living, and also their customs, such as leaving a sick man alone in the tent with bread and water only, approached by none, waiting for him to either die or recover on his own.
Who was Ibn Fadlan?
In his Rihla (travel narrative), Ibn Fadlan, who in the tenth century, accompanied a mission from the Caliph al-Muktadir to the Volga Bulgars, describes his experiences and the people and places he visited; the Khazzars, and the manners and customs of the Rus. [1]
Where did Ibn Fadlan travel?
Ibn Fadlan travels at night from Astrakhan (southern European) Russia. [Scandinavia and Ibn Fadlan] Ahmad Ibn Fadhlan in Northern Europe: A Survey of his Account of Russian Vikings in the 10th Century. Scandinavia and Ibn Fadlan. A Tale of Two Civilisations: The Viking and the Muslim World.
How many pages did Ibn Fadlan write?
Ibn Fadlan wrote about 30 pages of text on what he observed during his trip, including the Viking death rites. Some excerpts follow: I was told that when their chieftains die, the least they do is to cremate them. I was very keen to verify this, when I learned of the death of one of [13] their great men.
Who sent Fadlan to the Volga Bulgars?
A page from Ahmad Ibn Fadlan’s manuscript on his travels for the Abbasid caliph (Gilwellian/ Wikimedia Commons ) In 921, the Abbasid Empire Caliph Al-Muqtadir sent Fadlan as part of a diplomatic mission to the king of the Volga Bulgars.
What skills did the Vikings have?
We now know of the skills of these alleged barbarians as boatbuilders and navigators of genius; as blacksmiths, silversmiths, swordsmiths and wordsmiths; we know the truly intricate magnificence of the celebratory skaldic poetry that was composed and handed down from generation to generation as memorialised history that had no need of the written word; we remain fascinated by the loyalty of the Vikings to their Asatru, a faith so very different from Christianity, and the worship of a family of gods – the Aesir – as fallible and mortal as any human beings, to whom they prayed and sacrificed not for moral guidance but for the hard currency of success and protection, for victory in battle, fish in their nets, fat on their cattle and grain in their fields.
What happened to the Vikings?
On the day of cremation, the Viking’s body was exhumed, then his companions burned him, along with volunteer slave girls or boys who were slain, slaughtered dogs, horses, cows and chickens, food offerings, his weapons and his ship. For many years people have been fascinated by Vikings. Their reputation as rapacious, violent, ...
What is the reputation of the Vikings?
Their reputation as rapacious, violent, deadly marauders up and down the coasts of Europe and farther east are famous. But in recent years people have been repairing Vikings’ reputations by celebrating their awesome epics and stories, their wonderful religion and their workmanship and skills.
Who wrote that slave girls made the offer?
Usually, Ibn Fadlan wrote, slave girls made the offer. One girl volunteered for the spectacle Fadlan saw. “Every day the slave-girl would drink <alcohol> and would sing merrily and cheerfully,” he wrote of her. A map showing Viking expansion between 8 th and 11th century.
Who saw the dead Viking ship beached?
On the day of the cremation, Ibn Fadlan arrived at the river and saw the dead Viking’s ship was beached and it had been hauled onto scaffolding.
Who was Ibn Fadlan?
A mysterious character, the real Ibn Fadlan was a key member of a diplomatic mission sent by Abbasid Caliph Al Muqtadir in 921 from Baghdad to the upper reaches of the river Volga, in answer to a request for diplomati c assistance from the king of Volga Bulgaria.
Where did Ibn Fadlan first meet the Norse warriors?
Ibn Fadlan first met the Norse warriors as they travelled across the Russian steppes, sailing their longships down the Volga river and looking to trade with the Arab world.
What do the Vikings carry?
They carry axes, swords, daggers and always have them to hand. They use Frankish swords with broad, ridged blades.”. So 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 is the significance of the discovery of a silver ring with an Arabic inscription in a Viking grave?
The discovery of a silver ring with an Arabic inscription in a Viking grave has added credence to the ancient accounts of Arab travellers in their encounters with the Norsemen, and points to a fascinating trade and cultural exchange. “I have never seen bodies as nearly perfect as theirs.
What did the women wear to the Vikings?
This means a woman can wear many neck rings.”. Among the Arabs who encountered Vikings, the reaction was a mixture of horror and fascination. The knife worn by the women may have actually been a scoop for ear wax. The men were tattooed and performed brutal burial rituals that included killing female slaves.
Where did the Vikings live?
Reaching Schleswig, now the town of Hedeby on the border of Germany and Denmark, the Vikings lived in a society in which women could divorce whenever they liked and where both sexes wore “artificial eye make-up”, Al Tartushi wrote.
Who played Ahmad Ibn Fadlan in The 13th Warrior?
The connection between the Vikings and Arab Muslims has long been neglected. One exception was the Hollywood film The 13th Warrior made in 1999, with Antonio Banderas as Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, a fictional character based on the real-life traveller.
Overview
- In 921, the Arab traveler Ahmad ibn Fadlan (fl. 920s) went on a diplomatic mission to what is now Russia. There he encountered numerous Turkic peoples, among them the Khazars, one of the few groups in history outside of Israel to adopt Judaism. But perhaps the most memorable passages in the Risala, his account of his journeys, concern the Varangian...
Biography
Ethnographic writing
Appearances in popular culture
See also
Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān ibn al-ʿAbbās ibn Rāšid ibn Ḥammād, (Arabic: أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن راشد بن حماد; c. 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, to the king of the Volga Bulgars, known as his risāla ("account" or "journal").
His account is most notable for providing a detailed description of the Volga Vikings, including e…
Sources
Ahmad ibn Fadlan was described as an Arab in contemporaneous sources. However, the Encyclopedia of Islam and Richard N. Frye add that nothing can be said with certainty about his origin, his ethnicity, his education, or even the dates of his birth and death.
Primary source documents and historical texts show that Ahmad Ibn Fadlan was a faqih, an expert in Islamic jurisprudence and faith, in the court of the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir. It appears certai…
External links
For a long time, only an incomplete version of the account was known, transmitted as quotations in the geographical dictionary of Yāqūt (under the headings Atil, Bashgird, Bulghār, Khazar, Khwārizm, Rūs), published in 1823 by Christian Martin Frähn.
Only in 1923 was a manuscript discovered by Zeki Velidi Togan in the Astane Quds Museum, Mashhad, Iran. The manuscript, Razawi Library MS 5229, dates from the 13th century (7th century