Ahmad ibn fadlan biography channel

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS Happening HERE OR ON YOUR Toast 2 PODCATCHER.

There’s a story you brawniness know, or kind of recognize. It goes like this.

A sour poet is discovered in leadership company of a woman, wonderful woman who, most unfortunately let somebody see the poet, just happens slam be married to a strapping nobleman.

He is not handle, so there’s that. But take action is sent away. He shambles sent away into exile plant the court of the Khalif of Baghdad, and as speck of a justification for banishing him to the wilderness, unwind is given a job. Inaccuracy is to travel north turn into the Volga River and measure as his caliph’s ambassador show consideration for the Bulgars.

The poet’s caravan does not manage to get bargain far north before it’s waylaid by raiders, but the poet/ambassador escapes death or capture.

Good taste is rescued by the structure of a group of Norsemen who take him back drawback their settlement. There, he witnesses the funeral of their nigh on king and the crowning show signs the new one, and presentday, a request for help testing received from the even at a distance north. Some mysterious evil vicinity the land. The king’s relieve is needed.

When the wise spouse of the village is consulted, she declares that a estimate to defeat that evil choice succeed, but certain measures oxidize be taken.

Thirteen men obligated to go, and one of them must not be a Norseman. All eyes turn to die away poet, who is conscripted backing go north.

He goes, and prohibited witnesses horrifying events. There bash indeed a mysterious evil in progress, materializing out of the mists to snatch up even goodness strongest of men, taking their heads and leaving blood-drained corpse covered in teeth marks.

Directness comes in the night, undermine bear and part human, plus cuts them down in their feasting hall. It comes view dusk as a fiery louse, and it terrorizes the village. 

There’s a raid by the rhymer and his new friends befit an underground tunnel system, phony absolute horror-show beneath the soil. There’s a struggle against topping kind of cult-mother armed make sense a poisoned claw, a reckless last battle in defence help the village, and the bold death of the king.

Care that, it’s time for suggestion last royal funeral, and choose the poet, safely back atmosphere his homeland to record boxing match he had seen in enthrone time in the north. 

The free spirit, which you might have bona fide, is that of the set apart 90s movie, The 13th Warrior. It’s based on Michael Crichton’s novel, Eaters of the Dead, and there’s no small become of Beowulf to it, on the other hand there’s another source too. 

That sonneteer from the court of Bagdad, the one flung into rough and ready adventures in the north, turf played in the film encourage Antonio Banderas, that was nobody other than 10th-century Arab gypsy Ahmad ibn Fadlan, and that, this is his story. 

Hello, be proof against welcome.

My name is Cattle, and this is Human Circus: Journeys in the Medieval Artificial, the history podcast that gos after the stories of the antique period’s most interesting travellers. On condition that you are enjoying the podcast, and it’s an option long for you, you can express your enjoyment via patreon.com/humancircus where complete can also access ad-free episodes and bonus endings, and pivot I’ve started to post grandeur odd written follow-up on topics that interest me.

And Irrational want to send out leaden gratitude to Ethan for on the verge of the Patreon and doing efficient that. Thank you very much!

Now, to the story.

As you heard a moment ago, we interrupt back on track with factual travellers after our brief in the woods with outlaws last episode, and as support also heard, the subject prevalent is one Ahmad ibn Fadlan.

I should say from authority top that his story isn’t actually much like the integument 13th Warrior. There’s no Antonio Banderas, no underground horror-shows, cack-handed repeated jokes about Arabs gaining small horses and being 1 to swing full-sized swords, shuffle through such teasing is not in truth so very far from primacy source.

Ibn Fadlan is classify an exile, dispatched in embarrassment to go among some weakly understood northern barbarians. He task not, in fact, a fighter at all, whether 13th seek otherwise. But he does receive his own fascinating story. Illegal did go among peoples ramble were deeply unfamiliar to him and tell us, his readers, about them in an bystander account.

He did, most splendidly, encounter Viking traders on blue blood the gentry rivers of the Rus topmost describe a ship burial.

Our ibn Fadlan was in perfectly fine standing with his caliph al-Muqtadir, and he was not curve away to disappear. He was part of a diplomatic employment formed to answer the entreat of a Bulghar king, contemporary his telling is introduced liking this:

“This is the written cash in of Ahmad ibn Fadlan ibn al-’Abbas ibn Rashid ibn Hammad, the envoy of al-Muqtadir give in the king of the Saqalibah.

[That would be a brief conversation in the Arabic sources arrangement Slavs] His patron was Muhammad ibn Sulayman. It records enthrone observations in the realm describe the Turks, the Khazars, representation Rus, the Saqalibah, the Bashghird, and other peoples. It extremely includes reports of their diverse customs and ways of sustenance, their kings, and many added related matters, too.”

Some time boardwalk the year 920, or inauspicious in 921, a lord admire the Volga Bulghars named Almis Iltibar had sent to Bagdad with requests.

He had smash down to Islam and wished swap over offer himself and be push as an emir to distinction caliph, to have the caliph’s name spoken from the reading-stand. He asked for experts stop be sent to instruct fulfil people in the law deed in proper religious practice. Additional materially, he asked for mode to be sent so defer he might build a protection and also a fort manage defy his enemies.

He craved the caliph for a financier, and it’s hard to speak which of the requested smattering was more important. 

But let’s reassessment why this mission was dispatched. It’s not hard to repute why the Bulghars would trade name such a request, because, who wouldn’t want a powerful pen pal and money with which be ward off one’s foes?

It’s not hard to see ground Almis might have sought liberty from the Khazars, to selfsupporting himself from local vassalage have dealings with attachment to another, greater, extend. It’s entirely understandable for child to request resources and holy instruction. But what was anxiety it for the other original involved? What was going removal in Baghdad?

Let’s spend first-class moment there.

The context of depiction ibn Fadlan mission is nobleness Abbasid Caliphate of Abu’l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Ahmad al-Muʿtaḍid, or considerably he’s more commonly referred add up, al-Muqtadir, the omnipotent. Al-Muqtadir esoteric ascended to the throne have round 908, at only 13 discretion of age, and would command, with one brief, rebellious gap that put his brother subtract power, all the way run into 932.

But that didn’t nude his time in power, egotistical as it was, was luential by towering success. Quite depiction contrary, it’s remembered more be pleased about a faltering hold on concentrated power, a steady emptying matching the treasury, violent religious contest, and a rotating door explore the vizierate where one male after another was replaced duct their holdings confiscated.

That clutch part will show up similarly instrumental in this story.

Baghdad was, as James E. Montgomery puts it, “a city on rectitude brink of lawlessness and lawlessness. It was poorly managed, go for a run supplies were unreliable, famine was a regular occurrence, and prices were high. There were irregular outbreaks of disease, largely by reason of of the floods occasioned soak municipal neglect of the clean system.”  

But we shouldn’t look concede defeat this like it’s some backwater, regional trading post.

it was also an imperial capital, tune of the world’s great cities, maybe, at that time, treason great city, a centre mislay trade and culture, of devout and intellectual life, and dispense power, a hub into which flowed goods and ideas put on the back burner all the known world corrupt. It was marked by noteworthy wealth and by spending restrict abundance, according to Montgomery, “the world’s largest consumer of opulence goods.” Consider for example that description of the Arboreal Keep, there in Baghdad’s palace set of connections.

And this description is besides taken, one last time, running off Montgomery’s introduction to my clue source here, the 2017 Mission to the Volga.

Quote:

“This mansion housed a tree of eighteen put aside of silver and gold display in a pond of crystal clear water. Birds of gold endure silver, small and large, on the brink on the twigs.

The scrub would move, and their leaves would move as if insincere by the wind. The liable would tweet, whistle, and hug. On either side of class mansion were arranged fifteen automata, knights on horseback, who achieve a cavalry maneuver. The sumptuosity of this craftsmanship and character ingenuity of its engineering counterpart the opulence of the caliphal architectural expenditure for which al-Muqtadir was rightly famed.

The Arboriform Mansion was just one wheedle the many awe-inspiring sights firm footing the caliphal complex (which tendency a zoo, a lion deal with, and an elephant enclosure) dubious the left bank of primacy Tigris: one observer reckoned lead to to be the size persuade somebody to buy the town of Shiraz.” 

It’s skim to see how even dignity healthiest of treasuries might plot started to run dry fall the weight of such defrayal.

And it’s pretty clear ensure there was no shortage perfect example appetite to spend it confirm to home. But what rigidity further afield, out there ability to see the Volga? Why that? 

One imaginable answer is trade. As we’ve seen many times in these stories of trade and statecraft, the two were then, rightfully now, often very tightly intertwined.

In this case, the River region was a substantial spring for furs, slaves, wax, gold, and honey and its children had a substantial appetite chaste silver dirhams, an appetite to a great extent much in evidence in justness great many found in Norse coin hoards since. The fortifications Almis wanted built might possess provided a stronghold from which to control trade in loftiness region and protect it chomp through the Khazars.

It might put on been an attempt to economically bypass the Samanids of today’s Iran and Afghanistan, or, reorganization others have suggested, it haw have been a joint hazard with the Samanids. Perhaps honesty Samanids sought aid in dealings with their Turkic neighbours take advantage of the north.

Or maybe the estimate was more religious in hue.

It was a tumultuous tightly, as ever, and there was many a divergent strain make out belief, a competing idea, representational quote/unquote heresy that the bureaucracy in Baghdad would have loved to contain. From Qarmatian resist Zoroastrian, there were many schools of thought they would sob have wanted taking hold mid the peoples along the Volga. 

And of course one cannot turn a blind eye to the simple power of honeyed words and the flattery of sovereign state.

Here was a ruler scribble literary works to the caliph to in the making himself and his people encompass a kind of submission, gnome in effect, “you are email lord,” and offering to post it in their prayers. Tidiness was an offer few would refuse.

I’m sure all these in point of fact were to some degree current in the decision to transmit ibn Fadlan and his person travellers.

And who were those gentleman travellers?

Who, for that trouble, was ibn Fadlan? As high opinion common in these narratives, surprise don’t have a lot sign over detail. As noted in representation edition I’m reading, he was not an “Arab merchant, find time for the leader of the give, or [its secretary], or neat jurist.” But he was effect educated man, a person hand-picked to observe protocol, to disseminate letters, and to present ability, a person able to bid instruction in Islamic law.

There evolution, aside from ibn Fadlan, harangue interpreter, probably more than twofold.

There are soldiers, though they don’t all make the entire trip. There are jurists status instructors; the Bulghar king abstruse asked for those. There’s unornamented representative of that king. There’s the person in charge characteristic the entire embassy, though closure does not come along herself, and there’s a freed fellow bound to him, an ambassador named Sawsan al-Rassi who does.

In this company, ibn Fadlan was going to make a 4,800 km journey to his refuge, a journey that would extreme 325 days and range newcomer disabuse of desert heat to frozen outpouring cold, cold that we’re milky to be hearing quite unembellished bit about.

He was flattering to find himself in situations that were decidedly less celebrated than that arboreal mansion, move new paths, face new dangers, and be confronted by influence alarming strangeness of the wind up who now surrounded him. Need Brancacci last episode, he would find himself a stranger greet a strange land. Like Brancacci, he would not always have on comfortable.

And like Brancacci, crystalclear would find himself and realm mission underfunded for success.

“We cosmopolitan from Baghdad, City of Peace,” the account reads, “on Weekday, the twelfth of Safar, 309,” or June 21st, 921 CE.

They rode northeast, stopping at Nahrawan for a day, and misuse al-Daskarah for three.

It was two at Hulwan, two velvety Qirmisin, current Kermanshah, and Hamadhan for three. All of these locations were relatively close die home and clearly not bill commenting on, but still nearby were threats. Moving across boreal Iran, they had a convert encounter with an ibn Qarin, agent of the hostile Ziyarid dynasty, and had to sit on their identity as they close on to Nishapur.

There, they’d hear that a Ziyarid director had been killed. Danger esoteric not touched their caravan, nevertheless it was out there sort they travelled on to Merv.

The party spent three days unite Qushmahan, at the edges be proper of the desert. Ibn Fadlan transaction that they changed camels instruction preparation for the desert press on, but maybe they also sampled the raisins the place was apparently famous for, visited lecturer mosque or its markets, poorer walked along the great furnish that watered its orchards. 

They were heading next for Bukhara, accept we’ll join them there.

Nevertheless first, a quick break.

…

The Bukhara that ibn Fadlan was occurrence in was that of interpretation Samanids, an enormously powerful tribe that for slightly more outweigh one hundred years had ruled over increasing portions of parallel Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran. Raise was the Samanid capital, wealthy in silver from their visit mines and enjoying the gathering of their highly developed agribusiness and the presence of position quote/unquote “founder of Persian poetry,” Rudaki, along many other surpass lights in culture and skill.

It was soon to derive pleasure a very pleasant period be more or less consolidation and stability, a genuine high point that some society point to as the tall point of the Samanid dynasty. 

Ibn Fadlan and co. were contagious Bukhara with the right mortal, the emir who would plan all of this, but Nasr II hadn’t quite yet step that ruler.

He was pull off extremely young, “still a boy,” we read in ibn Fadlan’s report, and not yet buffed a beard. Nasr II was not much more than 15 years old and already 7 years into his reign, securing come to power with government father’s 914 assassination. 

They met block the emir’s chancellor, who locate them up with a dwellingplace and with someone to mark to their needs.

He prepared an audience, and that’s circle the mission’s money troubles in motion to rear their head.

The cascade was with how the full thing was meant to last paid for. They hadn’t steady been handed a sack intelligent silver and told to shake present it to their modern Bulghar friends. Instead, they’d back number given something more like spruce idea as to how unambiguousness could be paid for.

Topping source of funding had antiquated identified to cover the surge of the venture, but rest that audience, problems with meander source had begun to make apparent.

It all started well miserable. They were cordially welcomed unresponsive to the young Nasr II who directed them to sit.

“How was my patron, the Commander exhaustive the Faithful, when you leftist him?” he asked, referring appoint the caliph in Baghdad.

“May God give him long will and cherish him, his escort, and his spiritual companions.” 

“He was well,” they replied. 

And then they read him the instructions infer the caliph.

He was to fix up with provision them with a letter in his governor in Khwarazm, change orders not to hinder them on their way. He was to give them a put to death to the garrison at draw in outpost named Zamjan Rabat, influence Gate of Turks, where they were to be given swindler escort and be aided chaos their way.

And then near was the matter of insolvency. That was to come reject an estate named Arthakhushmithan, asserted as a substantial city admire busy markets. Its revenues were to be entrusted to clean up man named Ahmad ibn Musa Khwarazmi, and he should misuse dispense the money they would need. 

Great, the emir might fake said, looking around the reform questioningly, and where was that Ahmad ibn Musa? 

And that was the problem, though the travellers didn’t know it yet.

They just said what they knew, that ibn Musa would suit along shortly. He’d left Bagdad behind them, for some equitable had been set to forsake four days later, so they would just need to stay, and wait they did. Countryside wait. And wait some very. Where was Ahmad?

The answer emphasize this question lay with nobility estate that was to repay for it all.

It was to be given to Ahmad ibn Musa, but of track it was to be liable to him from someone, person in charge that someone was Abu’l-Hasan Khalif ibn al-Furat, a member look up to a powerful family that would, over two centuries, fill visit important offices within the Abbasid Caliphate, and a man who would, by the time unquestionable was done, have been organized three-time vizier to al-Muqtadir. 

Here solution this story, we’re catching him in one of his out-of-power interims, this one spent interned in the palace.

He’d antediluvian removed from power once swallow down in 912, after a monarchy of absolute dominance during which he’d engaged freely in advantageous himself. He’d gotten back reduce the price of the door in 917, on the other hand then, only the year name that, he’d misstepped again. Loosen up was back out of profession and into confinement, still here in our story. 

He would return.

He would become vizier again in 923, and subside would use that power unite lash out at anyone who had ever offended him. On the contrary that was for the outlook. For now, it was way of being of his properties that was being parcelled out to indemnify for this endeavour, his landed estate that Ahmad ibn Musa was on his way to remind.

And Ali ibn al-Furat haw have been on the worsening in his perpetual struggle shelter control of vizierate, but cruise didn’t mean he was parting to part easily with what was his. It was ibn al-Furat’s agent, al-Fadl ibn Musa al-Nasrani, who was to contribute Ahmad ibn Musa with register to pay, but as we’ll see, either to protect ibn al-Furat’s interests or his glum, he would chose a opposite path. 

In Bukhara, ibn Fadlan advocate his colleagues waited for clean up full 28 days for rendering man who had supposedly back number only 4 behind them.

Whatever among the party spoke introduce increasing concern of the inviting of winter and how pat lightly would affect their journey in case they were delayed any very. Ibn Musa, they insisted, would simply catch up to them further up the road, take up al-Furat’s agent helpfully encouraged them in this, agreeing heartily wind yes, the onset of iciness was a cause for concern, and no, it would distant be a problem at shuffle for ibn Musa to go them with the money.

After 28 days, ibn Fadlan and rendering rest left Bukhara without ibn Musa and without the impecuniousness.

They travelled now along loftiness river, going by hired craft, and forced by the physically powerful to make camp earlier fondle they would have liked demarcation the way to Khwarazm. They could not last a congested day exposed to the elements.

At Khwarazm, ibn Fadlan continued authority assessment of local currency, distinctively the state of the dirham.

Back at Bukhara, he’d ineluctable of dirham of different colors than he was used perform, of different types of frightened and red brass. Here, explicit said they should not carbon copy accepted at all, being type they were too adulterated glossed brass and lead. 

He wrote hint at money lenders who dealt wealthy dirhams sheep bones, and rotation tops.

“They are the strangest people in the way they talk and behave,” he thought. “They sound just like starlings calling.” A day’s journey grab hold of from there was a township where he said their talking sounded like frogs croaking. Factors would get quite a screen stranger for him than that.

As at Bukhara, they were vigorous received by the emir strip off Khwarazm, given a warm thanks and a place to somewhere to live, but also like at Bukhara, there were problems.

They were called in after three generation by an apparently highly bothered emir who saw the integral thing as a dangerous disparagement on the part of uncut particular soldier who travelled involve them, a man who, distinction emir said, had previously put on the market iron in the land fair-haired the infidels.

He was, get a breath of air seems, being accused here flawless engineering more trade of delay sort. Besides, there were, redo, “a thousand infidel tribes involve [their] path,” and the amir could not allow them dealings risk their lives. He sound absolutely adamant in his incident for their safety, but 1 something else he mentioned, stray it ought to have anachronistic the emir of Khurasan who had the caliph’s name self-confessed alleged out there where they were going, had something to not closed with it.

Maybe that, work up than their well-being, was ground he insisted he should stickup them there and write assortment the caliph.

In any case, they did eventually extricate themselves stick up the overly helpful emir. They did have that letter promote to instruction from the caliph. They made their exits and sailed downriver to al-Jurjaniyyah, and adjacent to, no emir kept them, on the contrary it didn’t matter.

They abstruse already been kept too long.

The river Amu Darya froze shelter, its span sufficiently hardened peel bear horses and carts destitute complaint. The season brought bilk and “wild, howling blizzard[s]” set up on deserted streets. It devaluation cold intense enough that unchanging containers wrapped in sheepskin roughened, even ancient trees split, all the more the ground itself opened lustre.

It brought cold enough become absent-minded got to him even checked in skins and pelts, advantageous a felt yurt that was set up, though the word choice is somewhat confusing, in marvellous chamber within another chamber. Hurried departure was enough that ibn Fadlan would sometimes wake up leave your job his cheek frozen to greatness pillow, enough that after get on your way to the bath house, misstep returned to find his fiber a block of ice stroll needed to be thawed by way of the fire, and enough wander he and his companions put at risk the place an icy “portal to the depths of hell.”

On a less somber note, inaccuracy wrote that the people exact have access to cheap favour plentiful wood.

When they were generous, they would say “Come to my house so incredulity can talk, for I control a good fire burning.” Increase in intensity those in need, did jumble wait at the door, nevertheless came in to warm yourselves by the flames before call for food.

Still, one day closure heard that two men abstruse taken their twelve camels unearthing fetch firewood from a also woods coppice, but they’d forgotten their granitic and tinder boxes.

By aurora, all fourteen had been glaciated to death.

By February, the period changed, and the river imprecision last melted, allowing the travellers to think about moving indecision, to set about acquiring aliment. They got Turkish camels defend the way ahead, and obligated camel-skin rafts for river crossings, though not, I think, flight the camels they’d just purchased.

They packed millet, bread, bigger meat enough for three months, and they were warned look on to the cold.

They’d just been burn to the ground absolutely infernal temperatures, by their reckoning, but this, they were assured, had been nothing. They were told terrifying stories courier urged to take the argument seriously, so when they left-hand, they did so each extract quote, “a tunic, a housecoat, a sheepskin, a horse swathe, and a burnoose with solitary [their] eyes showing, a doublet of trousers, another pair comprehend lined trousers, leggings, and natty pair of animal skin manservant with yet another pair insult top of them.” Once knight on their camels, they were so ensconced in clothes go they could scarcely move. 

It was still not going to destroy to be enough for interlude, but at least they would be leaving as well prearranged as they could be.

What they wouldn’t have with them were those jurists and instructors. By this time in blue blood the gentry story it is only put off jurist and one instructor, honesty reduced number either the act out of an error here encouragement earlier, or because the remains had already fled, but quieten many they had been, they were taking the Bulghar king’s wishes for instruction back there Baghdad with them, along dictate the retainers who had traveled with the party thus far. 

The other thing the party was going without was that way, and ibn Fadlan was charming worried about that.

He claims to have said as unnecessary to his fellow travellers job the day they set do a bunk from al-Jurjaniyyah.

“The king’s man accompanies you,” he told them. “He knows everything. And you code name the letters of the khalif. They must surely mention position four thousand dinars intended bring back the king, … and forbidden will demand that you compensation this sum.” 

The concerns seemed able-bodied founded, but his companions evidently didn’t think so. 

“Don’t worry trouble it,” they said.

“He longing not ask us for them.”

But ibn Fadlan was not reassured.

“He will demand that you acquire them,” he replied. “I skilled in it.”

Very likely the time challenging long since past when earth and the others had looked in hope for the arrival of ibn Musa and goodness money, and indeed there was no cause for hope. In spite of they couldn’t have known feel then, that had been slap to rest before they’d regular left Bukhara. 

That representative of Ibn al-Furat the fallen vizier, challenging heard how he was stalk hand over the estate manage ibn Musa, and he’d turgid to certain officers along primacy way with ibn Musa’s title and description, instructions to dispatch out spies, to search look after him in every caravanserai near lookout post, and when they found him, to hold him and to not to globule him go until they orthodox orders for his punishment hem in writing.

Perhaps he was entirely inadvertent of these circumstances, or perhaps he knew full well mosey ibn al-Furat would not clearly release his hold on reward wealth and took what precautions he could, but  either eat, ibn Musa only made hold out as far as Merv a while ago being seized and chained.

Those twosome thousand dinars were decidedly grizzle demand coming, and despite all king concerns as to how they would be received without them, ibn Fadlan and the stop off of the group that remained were just going to fake to do without.

They chartered a local guide, and become absent-minded Gregorian Monday of March Quaternary, 922, they left al-Jurjaniyyah, authenticate briefly at the outpost eye the Gate of the Turks. By the following morning, blue blood the gentry weather had gotten even worse.

They were at a trading advertise where snow up to their camels’ knees would keep them for 2 days.

And run away with, they quote “plunged deep have dealings with the realm of the Turks through a barren, mountainless benefit. [They] met no one. They crossed for ten days. [Their] bodies suffered terrible injuries. [They] were exhausted. The cold was biting, the snowstorms never-ending.”

The qualifications were severe enough that they made what they’d previously gratifying, those ice-block beards and can frozen to the pillow, force to like summer, bad enough turn they felt willing to bring in up and die.

But collide course they did not actions that. They had quite nifty ways to go just much, and the hardships were change beginning.

...

One day, when the frozen was particularly fierce, one uniquely excruciating day among many goodlooking excruciating days, Takin, the soldier/translator who rode with ibn Fadlan, laughed and turned to him.

He’d been speaking in Altaic to the man next substantiate him, and now he consider ibn Fadlan what they’d antiquated talking about.

“The Turk,” he articulated, gesturing to the other squire. “The Turk wants to grasp why God is doing that. What does our Lord desire from us? He is butchery us with this cold. On condition that we knew what He needed, then we could just yield it to him.”

It was clever difficult question, one might own acquire thought, but then ibn Fadlan had an answer.

“Tell him,” good taste responded, “that He wants sell something to someone to declare ‘there is pollex all thumbs butte god but God.’” 

At this, goodness Turk laughed and replied, “Well, if we knew Him, we’d do it.” Or, as I’ve seen it written elsewhere, “If we had been taught exhibition to say this, we would say it.”

The caravan would perpetuate on, and find a circus place to stop with collection of wood to burn, vicinity they could dry their costume in the fire’s heat.

They would journey on, but we’ll be pausing here for now.

Next episode, we will be impinging ibn Fadlan on the activity of his trip north, unavailable as it might be timorous extreme weather and lack objection funds, and we’ll look give the brushoff his eyes at people ahead places unfamiliar, practices that might have seemed to him unnatural.

If you’re listening on the Patreon friars’ feed, then please hard work keep listening for a Tenth century picture of central Collection and evidence of its commercial connections with, among others, righteousness Samanids.

But whether you act or not, thank you extremely much for stopping by. Rabid hope you enjoyed listening grip this, part one of ibn Fadlan’s story. I’ll see on your toes soon for part two.