Page:Notes upon Russia (volume 1, 1851).djvu/35

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INTRODUCTION.
vii

Saxon, with a Latin translation, and an excellent commentary.

The best edition, however, that has yet appeared, is that published by the celebrated Anglo-Saxon scholar Rasmus Rask, accompanied by a Danish translation and critical remarks.—See “Samlede tildels forhen utrykte Afhandlinger af R. K. Rask”. Del. 1. Köbenhavn. 1834; 8vo.


(2.)

Ibn-Fodhlan. 921.

Ibn-Fodhlan, or to give him his name fully and correctly, Ahmad Ben-Fodhlan Ibn al Abbas Ben-Assam Ben-Hamad, was, in the year 921 of our era, sent by the Abasside khaliph Almuktsadir Billah as companion to an ambassador to the king of Wolga-Bulgharia, or according to Yakut,[1] to the Sclaves. In this journey he met with the Wolga Russians, who had come hither in ships to trade; and his narrative contains a remarkable and circumstantial representation of the manners and customs of these Russians.

Ibn-Fodhlan’s account indeed, as could not fail to be the case, was known to other ancient Arabian authors; and, as we now discover on nearer comparison, was used by them, but is only completely preserved in Yakut, through whose medium he was first made known to Europeans in the following publications—

  1. Author of the well-known “Muajim Albuldan”, a very valuable alphabetical dictionary of countries.