Ibn Fadlan does not decisively say precisely when he enters Bulghar, but he does relate the crossing of many rivers on his journey there, after which he tells of how he interacts with the King of the X.\u00a0 He recounts his failure to deliver the money his journey was intended to do, reminding the reader that he had \u201cwarned [his companions] about this [situation]\u201d (29).<\/p>\n
Ibn Fadlan also describes the northern lights, which he counts as one of \u201cuncounted marvels\u201d(31). \u00a0\u00a0He is also struck by the people\u2019s relationship with the vast number of snakes in the area, which he recounts as \u201ctwisted about…tree[s]\u201d but emphasizes that they \u201cdo no harm\u201d (33).\u00a0 Ibn Fadlan also describes evergreen trees, saying how they are \u201cnarrow leaves like palms, but grouped together,\u201d commenting on how the \u201ctrunk is leafless.\u201d (34).<\/p>\n
Most troublesome to him, however, is the shortness of the nights, which make for a difficult prayer routine.\u00a0 He relates the tale of the muezzin, who says that \u201ca month earlier, he had not slept at night, for fear of missing the dawn prayer\u201d (32).\u00a0\u00a0 The varying lengths of day and night create an obvious strain on the Muslim prayer rituals, which is reflected in this passage of ibn Fadlan\u2019s travel narrative.<\/p>\n
In Bulghar, ibn Fadlan also encounters the R\u016bs, or, as we know them today, the Vikings, who travel down the River Itil for trading purposes.\u00a0 Interestingly, ibn Fadlan says that he has \u201cnever seen bodies more perfect than theirs\u201d while also describing them as the \u201cfilthiest of God\u2019s creatures\u201d (45, 46).\u00a0 This apparent contradiction of beauty within filthy disgustingness indicates that hygiene and appearance are utterly distinct and separated from the idea of the \u201cperfect body.\u201d\u00a0 Unlike today, beauty and cleanliness were not nearly as closely associated in ibn Fadlan\u2019s time as this description on the R\u016bs demonstrates.<\/p>\n
In addition to describing their lack of hygienic habits, mainly the absence of ritual washing, ibn Fadlan juxtaposes the \u201cfilthi[ness]\u201d of the R\u016bs with their habit of public sex with slave girls.\u00a0 Ibn Fadlan writes that when \u201cslave girls\u2019 are on sale for the merchants at Bulghar, \u201ceach of the men has sex with his slave, while his companions look on.\u00a0 Sometimes a whole group of them gather together in this way, in full view of one another.\u00a0 If a merchange enters at this moment to buy a young slave girl from one of the men and finds him having sex with her, the man does not get up off her until he has satisfied himself\u201d (47).\u00a0 This passage immediately follows ibn Fadlan\u2019s observations around the filthiness of the R\u016bs, implying that their public sex is a part of or, at the very least, related to their filthiness.<\/p>\n
This perception is very much in line with ibn Fadlan\u2019s previous observations and outrage at women bearing their genitals, however, in describing the R\u016bs, the Arabic traveller takes on a more neutral, objective tone.\u00a0 Perhaps the habits and customs of the R\u016bs are so astonishing that ibn Fadlan feels that the facts alone speak for themselves, in the eyes of a Muslim audience, or perhaps ibn Fadlan respects the R\u016bs for their strength and beauty, counteracting his previous judgmental writing on other non-Muslim communities.\u00a0Either way, there is something about the R\u016bs that captivates ibn Fadlan and consumes a significant portion of his travel narrative, reflecting his interest in other cultures and people.<\/p>\n
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