Ahmad ibn Rustah
Ahmad ibn Rustah (also Ebn Rosta and the like; Persian احمد ابن رسته اصفهانی, DMG Aḥmad ibn Roste Eṣfahānī ) was a Persian astronomer and geographer of the 10th century AD. Ibn Rustah has made several trips and written a compendium on his travel experiences and on the reports of other travelers. These reports even informed him of the heptarchy in England and the British Isles . He was born in the city of Isfahan ( Persia ), which he describes in great detail.
Beginning of his compendium
First of all, Ibn Rustah provides a description of the sky in his compendium and cites well-known Arab astronomers such as Albumasar . Then he describes very precisely the two most important cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina , whereby he has at least visited Medina himself.
Description of the Rus tribe
Ibn Rustah writes, among other things, about the Rus tribe in today's Russia. He suspects that the Rus are Vikings who inhabited the Rus , and claims that they lived in cities, not villages. He also reports that they do not farm but live from trading in hides and skins and from looting. Allegedly, the Rus often plundered Slavic tribes and made some Slavs into slaves , which they at least partially resold. Both their travels, as well as trade and looting, were carried out only with the help of ships. According to his description, the Rus wore baggy trousers and made particularly good swords . According to Ibn Rustah, the priests of the Rus had such a great reputation that they could designate every animal and even every human being as sacrifice for the gods. On the other hand, the legal system is said to have been rather complex. He also describes a Viking burial.
In contrast to Ibn Fadlān , Ibn Rustah claims that the Rus are a relatively clean people. They are also generally described as a particularly brave tribe.
Ibn Rustah's information about the Rus probably came partly from a trip to Novgorod .
More reports
Ibn Rustah writes about the king of ancient Croatia that every month he organized a three-day festival in his capital Drzvab.
A king in the Caucasus is said to have prayed with believers of the three Abrahamic world religions ( Christianity , Judaism and Islam ), although all three religions see each other as the only true religion to "play it safe".
In addition to his hometown of Isfahan, he also writes extensively about other parts of Persia and their trade routes.
In addition to Medina, Ibn Rustah has also traveled to other places on the Arabian Peninsula , including Sana'a , which he described as a heavily populated city with great fame, which is greater than all cities in the coastal region of Tihama and the western Arabian region of Hejaz , whereby he also particularly praises the quality of the food. According to Ibn Rustah, the houses were covered with plaster , burnt brick or hewn natural stone.
He also describes Byzantium (especially its capital Constantinople ), Rome , India and the Hungarians in more or less detail .
swell
- Saudi Aramco World article on Nordic tribes mentioning Ibn Rustah
- Brief description of Ibn Rustah
- C. Edmund Bosworth: EBN ROSTA, ABŪ ʿALĪ AḤMAD in the Encyclopædia Iranica
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ibn Rustah, Ahmad |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ahmad ibn Rosta; رسته اصفهانی |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Persian geographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 9th century or 10th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 10th century or 11th century |