After leaving Bukhārā, Ibn Fadlān traveled through the land of the Ghuzz Turks. He describes the cultural practices he witnesses and situations that did not match with the practice of Islam. He begins by discussing the nomadic lifestyle of the Ghuzz Turks. He says that they move around, live in tents, “live in poverty, like wandering asses” (11). Their political regime is mentioned; Ibn Fadlān says that they have lords and a king, but that their strategy is based on “consultation among themselves” (12). This democratic policy is supported in the Quran, however Fadlān makes it clear that this is undercut by the fact that the “most wretched of them can go back and break the agreement” (12). Throughout his discussion of the Turks, Fadlān continuously mentions that that Ghuzz Turks have no religion but will copy the words of Muslim travelers in order to make a good impression (11-19). However, based on the extensive burial practices he describes and how these show that wealth and ownership in life are reflected in the experiences of the deceased in the afterlife, it seems as if he is overlooking it. He also comments on the fact that the Turks do not wash ritualistically, that the women don’t cover their hair and sometimes expose themselves in public, and that the marriage customs there are strange and immodest, apparently, in comparison to his own.   

Fadlān also describes the norms of hospitality, sharing that “no Muslim can cross their country without having made friends with one of them, with whom he stays and to whom he brings gifts from the lands of Islam” (14). Though he doesn’t explicitly state how long he and his party travelled through this land or that he stayed with anyone, this quote implies that he did make friends with at least one person and experience this hospitality himself. Fadlān describes the Ghuzz Turks as being very accommodating to their guests, from helping to make sure their food is prepared in a way that is required for them religiously to giving them possessions and money to borrow. However, they also take breaking the trust between guest and host very seriously (14-16). 

Ibn Fadlān repeats multiple times that it seems like the Turks simply repeat what is said to them rather than take an interest in Islam, or religion in general. This description makes it clear that attempts at converting and taking over this area may not be successful. However, this is packaged with descriptions of hospitality and how much the people value material possessions, especially from “the lands of Islam”. So, the purpose of this section could be to discuss important things to consider if the caliph wants to send a larger amount of people through the area and up to Bulghār, almost as a guide of what to expect. With this in mind, I find is strange that he didn’t include more information about the structure of the society or how cohesive the lords are if he is hoping to provide information to help with future military endeavors.