Uncovering Ahmed Bin Fadlan's Lost Records: A Fascinating Glimpse into the Past

In 921, the famous Arab traveler Ahmad ibn Fadlan set out on a fascinating journey from Baghdad to the distant lands of Volga Bulgar. This extraordinary expedition, ordered by the Abbasid caliph, led him to the lands of the Turks, Khazars, Russians, Saqalbas and mysterious Viking tribes, leaving behind a captivating description of their customs, rituals, and way of life.

Letter Opener

The ruler of the Saqlaba, Almash bin Shilki (nicknamed: "Yaltwar"), asked the Abbasid caliph to send him someone who would teach him and his people the law of Islam and understand him in religion, and build for them a mosque and a fortress in which to shelter from their enemies the Khazars, which were requests made by the ambassador of the Saqlaba: "Abdullah bin Pashto". The Caliph agreed to the able to enforce an embassy to the country of Saqlaba to answer the requests of these Saqlba, and the embassy included "Ibn Fadlan" and with him three companions, all of whom the Caliph accompanied him, and commissioned "Ibn Fadlan" to read the book of the Caliph and deliver gifts and supervise the jurists and teachers, so the embassy was launched in the month of Safar year 309 AH, which is in the summer of 921 AD.

Persians

Ibn Fadlan's passage through Persia is limited to a brief account of the cities he crosses, and the number of lightning breaks he spent at stations such as Hamadan and Rai. Perhaps the reason for this description and rapid crossing is Ibn Fadlan's proximity to and knowledge of the Persian countries, unlike the countries he saw later, or it may be that one of the motives of the trip forced him and his companions to cross these countries more quickly than others. Ibn Fadlan's route went through major Persian cities, including Nishapur and Merv, although he does not describe them in his letter, and then through Mafaza (i.e., desert) to the city of Amal, and from there across the Gihon River to Bukhara.

Turks

At the time of the arrival of the Ibn Fadlan mission, Bukhara was the capital of the Samanid state, where they were received by the famous vizier al-Jihani (the author of a well-known geographical book despite the loss of his manuscripts, which is: "The Paths in the Knowledge of the Kingdoms"), and took them to the court of Nasr bin Ahmed, the young emir of the state at the time. The embassy read to the Samanid prince the book of the caliph al-Muqtadir, in which he asks the Samanids to hand over 4,000 gold dinars from the exit of the estate of "Arthakhmethin" to the embassy, to carry it with them to the king of the Saqlaba. But the person in charge of receiving the money (he: "Ahmed bin Musa al-Khwarizmi") did not accompany the embassy of "Ibn Fadlan" when it set off from Baghdad, but walked in their wake five days later, and the Abbasid minister Ibn al-Furat or one of his followers (who is the owner of the outskirts of the estate of "Arthakhmthin", according to the letter) orchestrated the arrest of "Ahmed bin Musa" in the city of Merv and put him in prison, so he never joined the rest of the mission.

Bulgarians or Saqlaba

The embassy of "Ibn Fadlan" arrived in the city of Bulgar in the spring, about in the middle of the month of Muharram, where it was received by the King of the Saqlaba, "Almash bin Shilki" in his camp near the current city of Bulgar, and gave them a four-day break before summoning them to meet him, and gathered his entourage to listen to the reading of the Abbasid caliph's book. When reading al-Muqtadir's book, Ibn Fadlan insisted that everyone stand while reading the book, including the curvy-bodied ruler of Saqlaba, in a sign of the superiority and importance of the Abbasid caliphate whose book he reads.

Russian or Viking

In the camp in the place of present-day Bulgar, Ibn Fadlan met a group of what he calls "Russian", who believe that these were a group of Vikings, and that they may have been returning from a business trip in Kiev. "Ibn Fadlan" goes on to describe the customs, appearances, clothes and behaviors of these people, including a long description of the funeral of a man of their senior people, a funeral held in the manner of burial by ship, that is, by burning the body of the deceased inside a ship, a ritual famous for the Vikings.

Khazars

The end of Ibn Fadlan's treatise in the manuscript of Mashhad is described, in broken lines, a brief description of the capital of the Khazar state at Attil, located on the banks of the Volga at the time. Many researchers doubt that "Ibn Fadlan" arrived on his journey -actually- to the country of the Khazars, and that this text belongs to him, and remains - for that - the return journey of "Ibn Fadlan" to the Abbasid state unknown until now.

Ibn Fadlan is believed to have returned to Baghdad, although all the letters we have discovered only describe his journey from Baghdad to the Saqlaba country. The detailed account of Ibn Fadlan's travels not only enriches our understanding of history, but also serves as a reminder of the interdependence of civilizations across time and space. As we reflect on Ibn Fadlan's legacy, we are reminded of the importance of intercultural dialogue and the value of preserving and sharing our diverse history.