Ibn Battutah and Ibn Faḍlān : The Intersections of Two Muslim Travelers Main Menu

What Did They Think?

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While Battutah and Faḍlān did not come across the exact same tribes – or even traverse the exact same spaces, their separate experiences within the Volga are illuminating. Largely, Battutah is far more interested in learning about the people he visits, and Faḍlān in educating them. This major point of difference likely results from their separate purposes – Battutah was on a haji, and Faḍlān on a diplomatic mission. Consequently, Faḍlān is quicker to pass judgment on certain practices that he believes to be wrong, and try to alter them.  

Although he is surprised by their eating habits, Battutah remains relatively positive about the diet of his Turkish companions. He notes that they are sturdy and reliable. Faḍlān, on the other hand, is critical and dissatisfied with their traditions – a trend that continues as his narrative progresses.

Both Battutah and Faḍlān discuss gender roles in their descriptions of the Volga, but their observations are nearly the opposite of one another. Battutah depicts a society where women are treated with even more respect than men. Faḍlān describes tribes where women are used as literal objects, at the full disposal of male pleasure. This variance could easily be due to the visitation of different tribes. Yet it is also possible that Battutah was more inclined to see the positive attributes of the communities he was visiting, whereas Faḍlān approached them with a more critical eye.

Finally, Battutah’s experience with the Arabic-fluent Jew in the Volga is extremely interesting. His bias is immediately evident in his questioning of this person, unable to believe that a Jew could be fluent in Arabic. Yet Battutah is shown to be wrong, and walks away from the exchange with a more developed view of Judaism. This instance in the text exists in direct tension with Faḍlān’s description of the Rusiyyah tribe. He constructs them as barbarians, devoid of all societal niceties and unable to integrate into the civilized world. As James Montgomery notes in his critical essay, “Ibn Faḍlān and the Rusiyyah,” the description “does not balk at the opportunity to point to the cultural and religious superiority of Islam” but does not venture into the mythological realm (Montgomery, 25). 
 

This page has paths:

  1. Muslim Travelers in the Middle Ages Emma Brown

Contents of this path:

  1. Battutah on the Volga
  2. Faḍlān on The Volga