Ahmad Ibn Fadlan Travels around the World

This book is a very important primary source for historians because it contains the only primary source concerning the Vikings before they converted to Islam, and many other accounts of important information including Viking raids. The book shows how the Eastern Vikings lived and how the Muslim world interacted with them. It also gives insight into the state of Islam in the tenth through twelfth century. Almost all of the information is this book is relevant to historians and the eye witness accounts are very useful concerning the people and places in this time period.

Ibn Fadlan wrote because he was keeping a journal. The book is simply accounts of his journey in a first person narrative style. Ibn Fadlan started just writing about his journey, but was later on motivated to write more about things he found startling or unusual(Inroduction,xxv). It is also possible that his journey's documentation was also going to be part of a report he had to turn in to the Caliph. This is likely because of the place the accounts were found and also how Ibn Fadlan writes. The accounts were probably found in a private library in either Merv or Jurjaniya(Note on the Texts,xxxiv). He goes out of his way many times to make himself look smart and pious which would imply he wanted to look good if someone else was going to read his accounts. He claims to be the only one in his party that realized there would be a problem with Almish, the king of the Bulghars, wanting to claim his money that a letter promised him(Ibn Fadlan,10). He is also always trying to make himself look like a good muslim by enforce Muslim practices and documenting himself saying prayers(Ibn Fadlan,11,13,38).

Abu Hamid was more focused on wonders than Ibn Fadlan(Introduction,xxvi...

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...ries to convince the Vikings to veil their women(Introduction,xxv, Ibn Fadlan,38) and is frequently disgusted with the openness the Vikings have when it comes to sex and nudity(Ibn Fadlan,12,47).

The books is a very valuable book in a world history course. It is a very important primary sources for historians for many reasons. It can tell historians many things about the culture and history of this time period. Ibn Fadlan's reports are important for Russia's history because the accounts pre-date the earliest Russian written sources(Note on the Texts,xxxv). The book also includes the earliest known mentions of the cities Mainz, Prague, and Cracow(Ibrahim ibn Ya'qub,162) and the most reliable report of the Viking attack on Seville(Ibn Hayyan,105). The book is vital because it offers some of the most important primary sources of the Eastern Vikings in this time period.