Ibn Fadlan and the Islamic Golden Age - The Only Written Source of a Viking Ship Burial, 921 AD

In the 10th century AD, Ibn Fadlan, the hero of this voyage, was sent from Baghdad by the Caliph, on a diplomatic mission heading north, to the King of the Volga Bulghars, in today's city of Khazan, Russia. On its way, he faces harsh environments and unfamiliar cultures, which culminates in the only written source we have of a Viking funeral, and isn’t it marvellous that it is written in Arabic. Since we are talking about a time and space not exhaustively explored by mainstream History, we decided to craft around the main journey, a few mores stories, so that you listener can get a better grasp of this era. We start with a tale from the Arabian Nights, namely The Three Apples, move to a context part, and then we enter the main travelog. Those familiar with the subject already realized that the structure of this episode is a blueprint from the plots of the Arabian Nights themselves, which we could describe as a russian doll pattern of storytelling. A story, inside a story, inside a story, inside a story… If you would like to hear more of this type of content please consider donating to my Paypal account: paypal.me/rudydurao Credits: Text editing: Rudy Durão; João Manarte Narration: Rudy Durão Sound editing and mixing: Rudy Durão Sound mixing and mastering: Alpine Audio Animation: Kristi Luht Jingle: Rafael Durão & Theo de Blasis, check them out! https://open.spotify.com/album/0gNEILcD4Mkd4SRQLlEyF5?si=Te5bvq-SRM656f0lgk-qKg