Mission to the Volga

Mission To The Volaga Is The Oldest Surviving Instance Of Sustained First-person Travel Narrative In Arabic--a Pioneering Text Of Peerless Historical And Literary Value ... 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.--provided By Publisher. Introduction -- Map: Ibn Fadlan's Route To The Volga -- Mission To The Volga. Baghdad ; Bukhara ; Khwarazm ; Al-jurjaniyyah ; The Ghuzziyyah; The Bajanak ; The Bashghird ; The Bulghars ; The Rüsiyyah ; The Khazars -- Yaqüt's Quotations From The Book Of Ibn Fadlan -- Ibn Fadlan's Logbook: An Imagined Reconstruction. By Aḥmad Ibn Faḍlān ; Translated By James E. Montgomery ; Foreword By Tim Severin ; Volume Editor, Shawkat M. Toorawa. Translated From The Arabic. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.