Over the course of his journey, he encountered a number of turkic peoples, as well another group that left a strong impression on him. He was part of a mission to the king of the volga bulgars, who had requested abbasid aid against the khazars. Journal of arabic and islamic studies, lancaster university, uk. His account is most known for providing a description of the volga. His account is most known for providing a description of the volga vikings, including an eyewitness account of a ship burial. A tenthcentury traveler from baghdad to the volga river most of our students, with mixed results, were introduced to the medieval arab traveler, ibn fadlan, through antonio banderas portrayal in the 1999 movie the th warrior based on michael crichtons 1976 novel eaters of the dead. Ibn fadlan s account of the rus ibn fadlan was an arab chronicler. The battle of antukyah was fought in between adal sultanate forces under imam ahmad ibn ibrahim alghazi and the abyssinian army under eslamu. In a new volume from the library of arabic literature, james e. Viking shipburial i had been told that when their chieftains died cremation was the least part of their whole funeral procedure, and i was, therefore, very much. The account is a unique source on the ceremonies surrounding the viking funeral, of a chieftain. Ibn fadlan and other muslim writers describe when and how the areas through which they traveled became muslim or, or on one instance, jewish, and in others, christian.
A 10th century arab muslim writer named ahmad ibn fadlan produced a description of a funeral of a scandinavian, swedish, chieftain who was on an expedition on the eastern route. The embassy brought profound changes in the situation of the eastern europe, and was one of the major steps in the chain of events that resurrected bulgar from a vassalage to a dominant position in the premongol eastern europe. Hanbal 164241780855, also known as imam ahmad or simply as ahmad, is the eponym of the hanbali school madhhab of law and theology and the most significant exponent of. The rus appear as traders who set up shop on the river banks nearby the. Ibn fadlans interaction with peoples of the region newly annexed to the islamic caliphates gave him many insights about the habits, customs, and laws of the rus. 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 sources documents and historical texts reveal that ahmad ibn fadlan was a faqih, an expert in islamic jurisprudence. Jun 26, 2001 ahmed ibn fadlan was in fact a real historical figure, he lived in the early 10th century and was sent in 922 as an ambassador to the king of the bulgars by the caliph of baghdad. This risala is of great value as a history, although it is clear in some places that inaccuracies and ibn fadlan s. Ibn fadlan s journey to russia a tenth century traveler from baghad to the volga river by ahmad ibn. But perhaps the most memorable passages in the risala. The th warrior 1999 antonio banderas as ahmed ibn fahdlan. In his rihla travel narrative, ibn fadlan, who in the tenth century, accompanied a mission from the caliph almuktadir to the volga bulgars, describes his experiences and the people and places he visited. If he has twenty thousand in his possession, then he has two neck rings made.
The man, if he possesses ten thousand dirhams, has a neck ring made for his wife. Jul 29, 2017 ahmad ibn fadlan ahmad ibn fadlan ibn alabbas ibn rashid ibn hammad was a 10th century muslim arab writer and traveller who led an embassy to the king of the volga bulgars. A substantial portion of ibn fadlans account is dedicated to the description of a people he called the rus or rusiyyah. Arabic wikisource has original text related to this article. Ibnfadlan is the most popular eyewitness account of the learned traveler on an official mission from bagdad to bulgar in 922 ad. In his rihla travel narrative, ibn fadlan, who in the tenth century, accompanied a mission from the caliph almuktadir to the volga bulgars. The authors describe customs, business practices, political systems, wealth or lack of wealth, of the areas through which they traveled.
Ahmad ibn fadlan honour sam mustafa publishing llc. During this posting he encountered the tribes of the rus, who roamed far and wide as traders the chronicle that he wrote, the risala contains much information on the physical. Another 150 pages are reports by other arab travellers, geographers and historians of medieval expeditions to the northlands. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Casson extensively quotes a report of a fullscale viking funeral by ahmad ibn fadlan, secretary of an embassy from the caliph of baghdad to the bulgars on the middle volga, whose route took him through a community of rus in 921. Hanbal 164241780855, also known as imam ahmad or simply as ahmad, is the eponym of the hanbali school madhhab of law and theology and the most significant exponent of the. Ahmad ibn fadlan ahmad ibn fadlan ibn alabbas ibn rashid ibn hammad was a 10th century muslim arab writer and traveller who led. Amade ibne fadalane wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. His subsequent account of his travels and the peoples he encountered is one of the most important documents from the period. Over the course of his journey, he encountered a number of turkic peoples, as well another group that left a strong. Paul lunde studied at london universitys school of oriental and african studies and specializes in islamic history.
The author of the book was an eminent scholar of islam and a prominent historian. There is an unavoidable degree of overlap between these two articles. In his subsequent report on his mission he gave a meticulous and astonishingly objective description of viking customs, dress, table manners, religion and sexual practices, as well as the only eyewitness account ever written of a. Horizon 1959 1978 a tribute to horizon, the hardcover magazine of the arts. Pdf link yes, i omitted the marks on the letters of the title, but it will still get you there. May 21, 2015 ibn fadlans account quoted in johannes brondsted, the vikings, tr. Pdf a reference grammar of modern standard arabic madawi. Sep 27, 2010 ahmad ibn fadlan ibn alabbas 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. This risala is of great value as a history, although it is clear in some places that inaccuracies and ibn fadlans own.
Hadingus is in the realm of the dead, whereas the slave girl is still among the living. A viking burial described by arab writer ahmad ibn fadlan. Tabaqat ibn e saad urdu by allama ibne saad pdf the. Ahmad ibn fadlan 5 brooch has a ring to which a knife is likewise fixed, and is hung upon the breast. The conquest of abyssinia 16th century none compares with futuh alhabasa futuh alhabasha. A tenthcentury traveler from baghdad to the volga river. Around the neck the women wear rings of gold and silver. Pdf ibn fadlan s journey to russia a tenth century. Most of our students, with mixed results, were introduced to the medieval arab traveler, ibn fadlan, through antonio banderas portrayal in the 1999 movie the th warrior based on michael crichtons 1976 novel eaters of the dead. The futuh alhabasha compared the number of dead and wounded to the previous. In 922 ad, an arab envoy from baghdad named ibn fadlan encountered a party of viking traders on the upper reaches of the volga river.
The singular narrative shares space with tim mackintoshsmiths translation of abu zayd alsirafis accounts of china and india. Ibn fadlan and the great unwashed 1415 march 2016 mbi al jaber building, corpus christi college, oxford ibn fadlans vivid eyewitness report of his mission to the bulgars on the middle volga in 9212 is probably one of the most widely known and intensively studied of early arabic texts. Ahmed ibn fadlan was in fact a real historical figure, he lived in the early 10th century and was sent in 922 as an ambassador to the king of the bulgars by the caliph of baghdad. This edition has a lot of maps, a good bibliography for furthur reading, appendices and a glossary of arab, turkish words. Ibn fadlan refers to a hen, whereas saxo mentions a rooster. Luo 9 0 jjb 4 scjjf 4jlc plgaajf ic 4j jdd oli ji u plj 4jf jccjf jujb 4 jjj jllajlji 4g l. Ibn fadlan s account of his journey is only about 60 pages long. This film, in an unfortunate and fruitful anachronism, pairs the historical ibn fadlan, who traveled northwards in the tenth century c. Immediately download the ahmad ibn fadlan summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching ahmad ibn fadlan. Volga route from baghdad to bulghar opened in the hermitagekazan centre. Tabaqat ibn e saad urdu by allama ibne saad pdf the library pk. Montgomery retranslates the extraordinary story of ibn fa.
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. Ibn fadlan and the rusiyyah university of new mexico. At one time, i was a poet in the greatest city in the world. Ibn fadlan was a tenthcentury diplomat who, in 922 ad, was sent on a mission from baghdad to the far north by the caliph muqtadir. Ibn fadlan wrote an account of his journeys with the embassy, called a risala. Venant dune autre culture, il decouvre, setonne, analyse. A theologian in the court of the abbasid caliph almuqtadir fl. Semantic scholar extracted view of black banner and white nights.
Jan 15, 2015 in a new volume from the library of arabic literature, james e. In his subsequent report on his mission he gave a meticulous and astonishingly objective description of viking customs, dress, table manners, religion and sexual practices, as well as the only eyewitness account ever written of a viking ship cremation. This knowledge raised his position in the court of the caliph. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the uk, depending on stock availability. The singular narrative shares space with tim mackintoshsmiths translation of abu zayd alsirafis accounts of china and india montgomery, the sir thomas adamss professor of arabic at the university of. One noteworthy aspect of the volga bulgars that ibn fadlan focused on was their religion and the institution of islam in these territories. Jul 26, 2012 in 922 ad, an arab envoy from baghdad named ibn fadlan encountered a party of viking traders on the upper reaches of the volga river. Where can i read the full translated writings of ahmad ibn. Ibn fadlan was a 10thcentury arab muslim traveler, famous for his account of his travels as a.
This risala is of great value as a history, although it is clear in some places that inaccuracies and ibn fadlans. Ibn fadlan risala ibn fadlans account of the rus ibn. 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. In dit reisverslag beschreef ibn fadlan onder meer zijn ontmoeting met vikingen of rusiyyah. Ahmad ibn fadlan ibn alabbas 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. Most scholars identify them with the rus or varangians, which would make ibn fadlans account one of the earliest portrayals of vikings. Ibn fadlans account of the caliphal embassy from baghdad to the king of the volga bulghars in the early fourthtenth century is one of our principal, textual sources for the history, ethnogenesis and polity formation of a number of tribes and peoples who populated. The travels of ibn fadlan muslim heritagemuslim heritage. On 19 february 2016, the exhibition ibn fadlans journey.
Time, place and peoples a 10thcentury arab expert in islamic religion. During this posting he encountered the tribes of the rus, who roamed far and wide as traders. Full text of ibn fadlan see other formats jof j 4judf uojl jfkl jloj. The book tabaqat ibn e saad urdu pdf written on the subject of history by allama muhammad ibn e saad. Ibn fadlan is the most popular eyewitness account of the learned traveler on an official mission from bagdad to bulgar in 922 ad.
Ibn fadlans account of the rus ibn fadlan was an arab chronicler. In his subsequent report on his mission he gave a meti. Ibn fadlan was the secretary to a higher ranking abbasid emissary. He is famous for his biography and history book tabqaat e kubra arabic. There he encountered numerous turkic peoples, among them the khazars, one of the few groups in history outside of israel to adopt judaism. This risala is of great value as a history, although it is clear in some places that inaccuracies and ibn fadlan s own. The basis for this exhibition is the book by ahmad ibn fadlan, an arabic diplomat and the secondranking official in the embassy of abbasid caliph almuqtadir to almysh, the emir of volga bulgaria, in 921922. Ibn fadlan served as the groups religious advisor and lead counselor for islamic religious doctrine and law. Ibn fadlan and the land of darkness iah 211 d hassan ibn fadlan.
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