Ibn Fadlan was a traveler who worked for the caliph Muqtadir from Baghdad. He traveled to visit the people he called the “Turks.” He left for Bulghar, the city where the Turks resided, in June of 921 CE. They spend around a year to a year and a half on this trip. According to Fadlan, they spent between one and three days in cities near Baghdad, which were on the trail towards Bulghar. These cities include Nahrawan, Daskara, Hulwan, Qirmisin, and Hamadhan (4). Fadlan didn’t spend much time recounting their lodging situations in the cities that he spent limited time in. He spends significantly more time focused on who he is with and the cities in which they stay. He lets us know that they are walking through the desert, but doesn’t give many other details about the terrain his caravan treks through until they reach Bukhara and Khwarazm.
He spends considerably more time in Bukhara (than in previous places), where he describes the harsh winter that they are about to endure and the troubles that will arise due to the weather. They stayed in Bukhara for 28 days until they left by boat via river to Khwarazm, where he tells us of a house where he was put up until he departed for Bulghar. In the final stretch of their journey, he describes the weather as “the cold of hell.” (8). As they went further north in their travels, they experienced a harsh winter climate, including frozen lakes they walked across. He focuses (not only in this section on the travels but also later on) on clothing. He describes their winter apparel and how the “local people” urged them to dress.
In the final push to Bulghar, the caravan hired a guide to help them get through wintery terrain. As per usual, Fadlan doesn’t focus much on any details of the guide other than his name. Fadlan primarily focuses on the names of “characters” he encounters. When he goes in-depth about the Turks’ behaviors or characters in general, he often leaves individuals’ names unmentioned.
The first time we get an in-depth explanation of the Turks is when he comes across a Nomad tribe. In this description, Fadlan’s personal beliefs and culture start to become more apparent. He describes the tribes’ tents, travels, and their beliefs. He believes them to be “wandering asses” and finds it extremely distasteful that they do not believe in a god (12). This becomes a pattern we see in his critiques of Turkish culture. Fadlan heavily focuses on immodesty, uncleanliness and un-Islamic traditions. He is clearly viewing the Turks through a lens of Islam. All of the behaviors he critiques directly contradict what someone of his religious and cultural beliefs would do. In Islam, people value modesty (especially among women). He remarks in disgust about a woman revealing her genitals to him. In Islam, people value cleanliness, especially when it comes to prayers and religious rituals. He spends quite a lot of time on their lack of personal hygiene. Fadlan also explains their religious sacrifices and traditions, such as carrying around a wooden phallus. He is clearly upset by this, and on many occasions, he attempts to convert the Turks to an Islamic way. He does this by giving their King a Muslim name and explaining proper prayer rituals to them. This all shows Fadlan’s priority of the Mosque and his deep-rooted belief in Islam.
We know that Fadlan is documenting his endeavors and successes in this writing for his Calif. He is trying to convert the Turks to Islam. His beliefs aren’t obscure or unknown; he not only believes in Islam, but his job is to get others to believe and follow Islam. Since we know his audience and his beliefs, the broader question to answer is how much of his writing is affected by his job. He comes at the description of the Turks from an angle of critique. Fadlan often states how disgusted he is or passes judgment on the Turks due to their divergence from the law of Islam. However, it is hard to know if his intended audience (the Calif) is greatly changing the way he goes about writing these accounts. Very well, he could be exaggerating his own disgust or the intensity of the defiance of the Turks to appease his boss and to keep his job. His audience is no question; however, how that audience plays into his accuracy is important.