Mission to the Volga / / Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter New York University Press Complete eBook-Package 2017
• VerfasserIn: Faḍlān, Aḥmad ibn,
• MitwirkendeR: Montgomery, James E.,; Severin, Tim,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : New York University Press, , [2017]; ©2017
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English
• Series: Library of Arabic Literature ; 28
• Physical Description: 1 online resource

The earliest surviving instance of sustained first-person travel narrative in ArabicMission to the Volga is a pioneering text of peerless historical and literary value. In its pages, we move north on a diplomatic mission from Baghdad to the upper reaches of the Volga River in what is now central Russia. In this colorful documentary from the tenth century, the enigmatic Ibn Fadlan relates his experiences as part of an embassy sent by Caliph al-Muqtadir to deliver political and religious instruction to the recently-converted King of the Bulghars. During eleven months of grueling travel, Ibn Fadlan records the marvels he witnesses on his journey, including an aurora borealis and the white nights of the North. Crucially, he offers a description of the Viking Rus, including their customs, clothing, body painting, and a striking account of a ship funeral. Together, these anecdotes illuminate a vibrant world of diversity during the heyday of the Abbasid Empire, narrated with as much curiosity and zeal as they were perceived by its observant beholder.An English-only edition.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Letter from the General Editor -- About this Paperback -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Notes to the Introduction -- Map: Ibn Faḍlānʼs Route to the Volga -- Mission to the Volga -- Yāqūt’s Quotations From The Book of Ibn Faḍlān -- Notes -- Glossary of Names and Terms -- Bibliography -- Further Reading -- Index -- About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute -- About the Translator -- The Library of Arabic Literature