Ahmad ibn Fadlan Ahmad ibn Fadlan (Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān أحمد ابن فضلان) was a tenth-century Arab scholar who wrote an account of his travels as a member of an embassy of the Caliph of Baghdad to the king of the Volga Bulgars (Kitāb ilá malik aṣ-Ṣaqālibah كتاب إلى ملك الصقالبة). Manuscript Tradition For a long time, only an incomplete version of the account was known, as transmitted in the geographical dictionary of Yāqūt (under the headings Atil, Bashgird, Bulghār, Khazar, Khwārizm, Rūs), published in 1823 by Fraehn. Only in 1923 a manuscript was discovered by the Turkish scholar Zeki Validi Togan in the library of the Persian city of Mashhad. The manuscript MS 5229 dates from the 13th century (7th cent. Hijra) and consists of 420 pages (210 folia). Besides other geographical treatises, it contains a fuller version of Ibn Fadlan's text (pp. 390-420). Additional passages not preserved in MS 5229 are quoted in the work of the 16th century geographer Amin Razi called haft iqlīm (seven climes). The Embassy Ibn Fadlan was sent from Baghdad in 921 to serve as the secretary to an ambassador from the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir to the king of the Volga Bulgars, Almış. The embassy's objective was to have the king of the Bulghars pay homage to the Caliph and to give him money to pay for the construction of a fortress. The mission fails, because they are unable to collect the money intended for the king. They do reach the Bulghars, however, but the king, being annoyed at not receiving the promised sum, refuses to switch from the malekite rite to the hanefite rite of Baghdad. The embassy leaves Baghdad on June 21 921 (11 Safar 309). It reaches the Bulghars after much hardship on May 12 922 (12 Muharram 310). Its itinerary takes Ibn Fadlan from Baghdad to Bukhara, to Khwarizm (south of the Aral Sea), to Jurjaniya where they spend the winter, north across the Ural River until they reach the camp of the Bulghars at the three lakes of the Volga (near modern Samara). The Rus A substantial part of Ibn Fadlan's account is dedicated to the description of a people he called the Rūs روس or Rūsiyyah. These people are frequently identified with the Rus′ or Varangians, which would make Ibn Fadlan's account one of the earliest portrayals of Vikings. At the same time, the anti-Normanist scholar Pavel Dolukhanov claims that the description presents the mixture of Scandinavian and Khazarian traits, indicating either Ibn Fadlan's confusion of the two peoples or fluid intermixture of them occurring at the described time. The Rūs appear as traders that set up shop on the river banks nearby the Bulghar camp. They are described as having the most perfect bodies, tall as palm-trees, with blond hair and ruddy skin. They are tatooed from neck to toe with tree patterns and other figures and all men are armed with an axe and a long knife. Ibn Fadlan 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. In that, his impressions contradict to those of Ibn Rustah. He also describes in great detail the funeral of one of their chieftains (a ship burial involving human sacrifice). Fiction Ibn Fadlan's account forms the basis of the novel Eaters of the Dead, by Michael Crichton (filmed as The 13th Warrior, with Antonio Banderas as Ibn Fadlan) in which the Arab ambassador is taken even further north and is involved in adventures inspired by the Old English epic Beowulf. References Ch. M. Fraehn. Die ältesten arabischen Nachrichten über die Wolga-Bulgaren aus Ibn-Foszlan's Reiseberichte. - «Memoires de L'Academie Imper. des Sciences.», VI serie, 1823. Ibn Fadlan, Voyage chez les Bulgares de la Volga, trad. Marius Canard, Paris 1988. Collection of Geographical Works by Ibn al-Faqih, Ibn Fadlan, Abu Dulaf Al-Khazraji, ed. Fuat Sezgin, Frankfurt am Main, 1987. External links Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies 3 (2000), containing "Ibn Fadlan and the Rūsiyyah", by James E. Montgomery, with an annotated translation of the part of the account pertaining to the Rus. Risala: Ibn Fadlan's Embassy to the King of Volga Bulgaria Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. 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