The Risala is an account written by a sophisticated and educated Muslim, describing his observations of Vikings living in Russia.
What does Ibn Fadlan think of the Vikings? What do we learn about them through his eyes? What are the social, cultural and religious values of the Vikings, according to Ibn Fadlan? How can we gauge the accuracy of Ibn Fadlan’s observations: is he a believable source of information, or is he prejudiced against the Vikings because their behavior and belief system are so different from his own?
This is for my HST 121 Introduction to Western Civilization to 1500 class.