While in Bulghar, Abu Hamid again focuses on some basic aspects of the city, like the climate of the area and how it affects everything. He first points out that it is mostly built from pine and oak wood, and that it is densely populated with people. He later goes on to say that during the winter, their nights are very long, while the days are short, but during the summer the days are much longer and “hotter than anywhere else in the world,” (66). Some of the interesting things that he focuses on about the weather is how cold it is, and because of the temperature, the ground is almost impossible to dig. Due to the frozen ground, Hamid mentions that he had to wait six months to bury his son, who has died while in the city. He also comments that “the body of the dead are frozen as hard as stone,” (67). Another interesting thing is that during the summer, he says it is also difficult to practice Ramadan and fast in the city because it is so hot. Because of this he then had to “give up and take refuge underground in a room where there was a spring,” (67). Hamid’s focus on the weather seems to be the only negative thing that he has said about the entire city, as the rest of his observations are as he did them before—pure observations with hints of awe at certain features of the city, like the food.

Going back to his normal observations, Hamid then goes on to say that the people are able to survive such a harsh winter is because most of their food and drinks contain honey in it—which he says is very cheap in that area. He also talks about things like finding the bones of the people of Ad and mammoth ivory, as well as the beaver that populates the area near the rivers, and the Aru people that sell the pelts near the city. He focuses a bit on these kinds of observations—things like the beaver and giant birds, imported items like the sword and what they’re sometimes traded for, and the sky.

With all these observations, I believe he continued to express some form of admiration, and again seems to just be taking everything in objectively in most cases. Apart from his comments on the weather that focused on some of the negatives of both extreme seasons, Hamid does not seems to do this with any of the other subjects that he talks about. Even his weather observations barely contained any true harsh language, as Hamid did not outright make any personal affronts apart from pointing out the obvious—the ground was frozen during the winter, and it was too hot to practice Ramadan during the summer. His admiration for everything else however, is made apparent through his long passages focusing on the more basic things, as well as his positive language like, “the beaver is a wonderful animal,” (69). Again, I believe his purpose is to just highlight certain aspects of the city, and learn more about them in an objective manner.