( Log Out /  We’ve known for a long time that the Vikings had rich interactions with the Islamic world, and this should have been just one more story in that larger saga, she said. Two weeks ago, Swedish researcher Annika Larsson of Upssala University announced that she had discovered a thousand year-old Viking textile with ‘Allah’ inscribed on its hem. Larsson has also found the names “Allah” and “Ali” on at least 10 of the nearly 100 pieces of fabric she examined, and they always appear together. Ibn Fadlan’s describes the Rus as ‘perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy’. But the most important physical evidence of contact between the Vikings and the Islamic world is the ring found in a grave of a woman near Birka. “The Vikings in Spain, North Africa and the Mediterranean.” by Stefan Brink and Neil Price, In The Viking World, 465. There is a period, as Salim T. S. Al-Hassani notes, of 1,000 years missing from Western educational systems. Similarly to Muslim merchants throughout history, Vikings were interested in trading and collecting commodities such as silver, furs, honey, leather, ivory and fish. But new evidence suggests these interactions were greater than previously thought. From the 8th to 11th century, their expeditions are said to have extended from Western Europe to Central Asia, at which point they had contact with the “Muslim world.” This Muslim Convert Can Teach You a Thing or Two, Europe’s First ‘Eco Mosque’ Opens for Prayers in Cambridge, Where European and Islamic Culture Meet: the Balkan and its Kind People, The Flowery Journey of Tulips From the Ottoman Empire to Europe. Bronze vessels, Cufic coins, costumes and costume accessories, as well as glass vessels, beads, balances and weights found mostly in Sweden are proof of contact with the Arab world. He also stated they are “the filthiest of all Allah’s creatures… They do not purify themselves after excreting or urinating or wash themselves when in a state of ritual impurity after coitus and do not even wash their hands after food.”, A century later, Al-Tartushi, a merchant from Cordoba, described a Danish market town. Hafsah Dabiri In the journal Scanning, researchers recount how they used a scanning electron microscope to investigate the origins of the ring. The discovery was made by archaeologist Annika Larsson of Uppsala University. Volume 1 includes coverage of field archaeology, various approaches used in this work including the Cultural Interaction Theory and Approach (CITA), the Viking and Islamic World on the eve of contact with one another, early contact between the Vikings and the Islamic world, Muslim and Scandinavian views of one another, the Vikings and Muslim Spain, Muslim Spain’s envoys to the … July 23, 2016, 5:24 pm. Sumeyye Copoglu I absolutely enjoyed the part where the fictional characters visited Sicily and then the Islamic wold the meet an Emir , crossing the desert. After the defeat, the Vikings preferred instead to serve as mercenaries, or trade in valuable commodities such as slaves. Hot In Seville, the Vikings looted and captured prisoners to be sold off as slaves. It is surely not the question if there was interaction between the Islamic World and the Vikings, it is just not clear if their relationship was purely for trade or if some of them converted to Islam. Figure 1. The inscription is translated as “for/to Allah”. Ethem Bukey I know that Vikings is based on some facts, but also fictional in … ( Log Out /  Contact between the Viking and Muslim worlds has long been established by historic accounts and the discovery of Islamic coins across the northern hemisphere. Sumaya El-Zaher Nurettin Topçu: A philosopher of morality and action, Enderun Mektebi: The Palace School of the Ottoman Empire, Jabir Ibn Hayyan is the Father of Modern Chemistry – And Here’s What He Taught the World, One of the Most Beautiful Mosques Is Located in Uzbekistan’s Blue City, Samarkand. As the Vikings set about their business, they come across a mosque in which Muslims are praying. The trade, battles and many other interactions between Muslims and Vikings is reported to have been so intertwined that such discovered artefacts from their day to day lifestyle – whether Vikings converted to Islam or not – should be perceived as commonplace. Ibn Khoradadbeh refers in 844 to the Vikings as Rus and describes them as merchants of slaves, fur and swords. Al-Ghazili allegedly brought gifts for the Viking king, but the gesture did not have its intended impact. November 4, 2020, 2:20 pm, by The people there adore Sirius, except for few, who are Christian. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. According to Thomas S. Noonan’s book Supply-Side Sustainability, “Viking traders brought Abbasid silver coins in great quantities to Scandinavia; thousands have been found in Russia and the Baltic.” Noonan also highlights that it was a cache of dirhams (coins in Arabic) “that helped fuel the Viking Age.” He claims the dirham to be of such power that it was used as the common currency in Viking cities like York, England and Dublin, Ireland in the 10th and 12th centuries. Fadlan is famous for his meeting  with a “strange race” he called the “Rusiyyah,” now commonly known as Vikings. Reconstructed Greenland temperature based on ice core data. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Vikings and Islamic People. When people typically think about interactions the vikings had with non-vikings, they think of what Christian monks wrote about the "godless" heathens and their spiky "horned hats" (vikings didn't wear horned hats). July 6, 2019, 10:11 am, by Loubna Khalkhali February 19, 2020, 12:20 pm, by It is well-known among researchers that the Vikings, those Scandinavian warriors who roamed the seas between the 9th and 11th centuries, made contact with the Islamic world. Al-Majdus translates to “a culture of fire worshipers.” The 13th century historian Ibn Said stated, “nothing seems more important to them than fire, for the cold in their lands is severe.”. The 15,000 person Viking force reportedly held the city of Seville for about one month before being defeated by Abd al-Rahman II. The Volga Vikings appear as traders who set up a camp on the river banks. An engraved ring has suggested evidence of close contact between Viking Age Scandinavians and the Islamic world, more than a century after it was discovered. Got something awesome to share with others? The Viking and Muslim interactions between the 9th and 12th centuries have been pushed to the margins of modern histories. The town is poorly off for goods and wealth… Women have the right to declare themselves divorced: they part with their husbands whenever they like.”, Other accounts, such as Al-Masudi’s Meadows of Gold, written in 943, and Al-Mukaddasi’s The Best Organization of Knowledge of the Regions, composed around 945, were briefer in their mentions of the Vikings, “but collectively they were all trailblazers in what was then the flourishing field of Islamic geography, a response to the thirst for knowledge about the vast Islamic world and the regions beyond it.”, Arab scholars of the time used the name Al-Madjus as a way to describe the Vikings as they perceived them. While the Vikings are perhaps best known for accumulating wealth by plunder, tribute, and conquest, they were also skilled and successful traders.The Vikings developed several trading centres both in Scandinavia and abroad as well as a series of long-distance trading routes during the Viking Age (c. 8th Century AD to 11th Century AD). Mvslim Within there are sources of fresh water. Discovered more than a century ago in a Swedish grave, a ring bearing an Arabic inscription confirms contact between the Vikings and the Islamic world. Major international media outlets rushed to publish news of Larsson’s supposed discovery. Built by the Moors, Algeciras is an Islamic society under Muslim rule. The History channel’s original drama television series – Vikings – is one of my favorite programs. In one of his accounts about his travels he describes “Schleswig”, i.e. The Vikings and The Islamic World Series (3 Book Series) by Farhat A. Hussain. The Vikings and The Islamic World Series (3 book series) Kindle Edition Others have speculated that the Viking woman might have been a convert to Islam. Important collections of Viking material, as well as displays relating to religions and beliefs from all over the world. From the 8th to 11th century, their expeditions are said to have extended from Western Europe to Central Asia, at which point they had contact with the “Muslim world.”. The Vikings had extensive contact with the Muslim world, as they traveled widely on their raids and expeditions. Al-Tartushi relates: “They hold a festival where they assemble to honor their god and eat and drink. Areeha Akhter More Arab writers who mentioned the Vikings in their works are Ibn Khoradadbeh and Ibn Fadlan. You Can Still Make the Most of Ramadan! Historical sources tell us that a fleet of Viking ships raided the Carolingian Empire (800-888) after sailing along the coasts of Bay of Biscay in Northern Spain. The world of the Vikings is brought to life through the journey of Ragnar Lodbrok, the first Viking to emerge from Norse legend, and his family members. The account written by Ibn Fadlan about his 921–922 travels from Baghdad to the capital of the Bulghar kingdom gives details which can reveal the cultural interaction between the two groups. Afifa Thabet Floki, one of main characters, hears the call to prayer and appears struck by Islamic worship. Ancient texts tell of encounters between Viking Age Scandavia and the Islamic world, but material evidence supporting the interaction of these two civilizations is rare. ). The woman in the grave, who died in the 9th century, was discovered by Swedish archaeologist Hjalmar Stolpe, who spent years excavating the Birka grave sites. Popular, by October 2, 2020, 2:44 pm, by The Vikings were renowned for sailing the world and covering large distances on both land and sea. “Contacts between Vikings and Arabs/Muslims were both peaceful and violent. This empire had contact with different cultures around the world, such as the Indians and Chinese in the east, and the Byzantines in the west, which led to the establishment of trade networks between Asia, Africa and Europe. Sumaya El-Zaher Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. Following the Vikings’ retreat, Al-Rahman established a navy, the first of its kind in Al-Andalus, and sent diplomats to start peace talks with the Vikings. The word on the ring reads “il-La-La” which means “for” or “to Allah.” Though the attire of the woman in the grave seems to be traditionally Scandinavian, her decomposed body made it hard for archaeologists to determine her ethnicity. Environment and trade Environment and Trade: Viking Age Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, Vikings not only raided, but traded far and wide. They have a church there.”. They are described by Ibn Fadlan as having bodies tall as palm trees, with red hair and ruddy skin. Anyone who slaughters an animal by way of sacrifice has a palisade (or pole) outside his house door and hangs the sacrificed animal there, whether it be ox or ram, he-goat or boar, so that people may know that he makes sacrifice in honor of his god. During the Islamic Golden Age, from the 8th century to the 13th century, the Abbasid Caliphate established one of the largest empires in history. Mvslim Get the best content delivered straight into your inbox! The ring is made of silver alloy and colored glass with an inscription in Cufic Arabic. The trade between the Rus and the lands south of the Black and Caspian seas made it possible for cultural interactions to take place between the Rus and the Islamic World. The Arabic or oriental artifacts found in Scandinavia are very diverse. June 9, 2018, 12:31 pm, by The Andalusian diplomatic mission was led by the renowned poet, Al-Ghazali, who had earlier been sent as a diplomat from Umayyad Cordoba to the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829-842). Al-Tartushi has also reported about the Vikings around 970. The tomb had a silver ring with the phrase “for Allah” inscribed on it. The Vikings returned to attack the Iberian peninsula in 859. He talks about the people and their town: “Schleswig is a very large town situated at the Ocean. May 1, 2020, 5:34 pm, Trending But the most important physical evidence of contact between the Vikings and the Islamic world is the ring found in a grave of a woman near Birka. I'm following the series " Vikings" and the whole Lothbrok saga and their curiosity for the world at that time. As the Washington Post notes, the researchers discovered that the stone in the ring is actually colored glass – at the time an exotic material for the Vikings, though it had been made for thousands of years in the Middle East and North Africa. ‘Majus’ is another word for fireworshipers and in this instance the Vikings. Researchers in Sweden have recently found Arabic Kufic script woven into clothing from Viking boat graves dating to the 9th and 10th century. The fourth Emir of Cordoba, Abd al-Rahman II, sent al-Gazal to the king of the ‘Majus’. Why Are These Viking Burial Clothes Inscribed with Arabic Script? 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One of the earliest detailed descriptions of Northern Europe is reported by a Muslim named Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, a 9th/10th century Arab traveler and member of the diplomatic mission of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Muqtadir of Baghdad. We’ve known for a long time that the Vikings had rich interactions with the Islamic world, and this should have been just one more story in that larger saga, she said. Even those who had converted to Islam aspired to it and were very fond of pork.” These Viking Muslim communities would become known for supplying cheese to Spanish cities including Cordoba and Seville. Years later, under the reign of Abd ar-Rahman II (822-852), Viking ships sailed up the Guadalquivir River to attack Seville, a main city of Al-Andalus. Published on October 13, 2017. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! While there is no cut-and-dry declaration that Vikings were actually Muslims, there is evidence that some likely were. Change ). by July 29, 2019, 1:10 pm, by Hedeby, an important Viking Age trading settlement. '” The amnesia, he continues, “affects the minds of present and future generations and distorts their attitudes and perceptions of the role of other cultures, particularly Muslim, in building the present civilization.” It should be noted, however, that both the Vikings and Muslims had interacted with civilizations and gained knowledge from these interactions. Even though the woman in the grave was wearing traditional Scandinavian clothing, it is not possible to identify her ethnicity or religion. With these early accounts of Vikings expeditions, it is very likely they had interactions with the Islamic world. The inscription is translated as “for/to Allah”. In one show – called “Crossings” – the Vikings find a port city, Algeciras, in the south of Spain. The Vikings & The Islamic World book. Researchers have also claimed that the appearance of the ring in Birka shows direct contact between Viking society and the Abbasid Caliphate the once dominated much of the Middle East and North Africa. Before sacking Seville, the Vikings sacked Cadiz, Lisbon and Medina Sidonia. The inscription on the ring was also written in Kufic, which was well renowned in the 8th to 10th centuries. But the story struck a chord because it builds on accurate scholarship that shows that the Viking era included extensive contact with the Islamic world as well as other distant locales. The ring could have been war spoil or a gift. During the Islamic Golden Age, from the 8 th century to the 13 th century, the Abbasid Caliphate established one of the largest empires in history.. The Vikings & The Islamic World: Volume 1 (The Vikings and The Islamic World Series) eBook: Hussain, Farhat A.: Amazon.in: Kindle Store The Vikings & The Islamic World: Volume 2 (The Vikings and The Islamic World Series) eBook: Hussain, Farhat A.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store Select Your Cookie Preferences We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. 32 Inspirational and Motivational Islamic Quotes To Help You Understand How, 9 Poems That Prove Ancient Arabs Were The Best Valentines Ever, 12 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Pro-Palestine, 10 Things You Use Every Day That Are Invented by Muslims, 7 Famous People You Probably Didn’t Know Are Palestinian, Mvslim Spotlights: Malikah Gender Justice Summit, Bangladeshi teen wins the International Children’s Peace Prize for Anti-bullying App, When Culture and Religion Meet Jewelry: ZUDO, Halima Aden: ‘If I Continued Down This Path, I Would’ve Definitely Lost My Hijab Completely’, Mvslim Picks: Top 6 Muslim Podcasts of 2020. The patterns woven with silk and silver thread spell the words “Allah” and “Ali,” the BBC notes. Even though it is not clear why he was sent there, al-Gazal reports about an island or peninsula which might be the court of King Horik I, the King of the Danes. February 14, 2018, 5:40 pm, by June 26, 2019, 2:53 pm, by This empire had contact with different cultures around the world, such as the Indians and Chinese in the east, and the Byzantines in the west, which led to the establishment of trade networks between Asia, Africa and Europe. Bede's World . February 25, 2020, 4:25 pm, by The Moorish poet and diplomate al-Gazal is one of the few Arabs who gave a description of what must be nowadays Scandinavia. Wow! Information about their relationship has been found in Arabic written sources and through the discovery of Arabic artefacts in Scandinavia. (CNN) —An ancient ring has shed new light on the ties between Vikings and the Islamic world, more than a century after its discovery. They are tattooed from “fingernails to neck” with dark blue or dark green “tree patterns” and other “figures.” Ibn Fadlan added that all men are armed with an axe, sword and long knife.

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