Ibn Fadlan

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Ibn Fadlan and al-Andalusi both travelled much of the same land. During their travels, they wrote down their experiences with other cultures. Despite the fact that their journeys were two centuries apart, they had many similarities as well as differences in their style of writing, interests, and religious interactions. The most prominent similarity is their relationship with Islam; both of them tried to convert the people they met to their religion and their religious customs. They also share similarities in what they choose to write down about a culture. However, Ibn Fadlan was far more interested in the rituals and customs of other cultures, whereas al-Andalusi chose to primarily focus on food, animals, and the resources of other civilizations. They also have distinct differences in how they interact with others and the style of their writing. Ibn Fadlan is far more active in his writing because he describes his judgments and writes more about himself. Conversely, al-Andalusi is more passive, and writes less about himself or his opinions.
The most notable difference between the two travelers is their writing style. Al-Andalusi is far more passive in his writing and how he interacts with others than Ibn Fadlan. For example, Ibn Fadlan judges others’ appearances far more frequently. For instance, he wrote his opinions of the Rus saying of their bodies “I have never seen bodies more perfect than theirs.” (Ibn Fadlan, 45) and also saying “They are the filthiest of God’s creatures.” (Ibn Fadlan, 46). Contrarily, Al-Andalusi rarely gives his opinions on the people he writes about. For example, both Ibn Fadlan and al-Andalusi have a section dedicated to depicting a giant. Ibn Fadlan states “I saw that judging by the length of my fore...

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...e… One sheep costs half a danaq and a lamb costs a tussuj.” (al-Andalusi, 64). Both Ibn Fadlan and al-Andalusi deviate from these topics often, but Ibn Fadlan primarily concentrates on the rituals of a culture and al-Andalusi mainly focuses on a culture’s resources.
In conclusion, both Ibn Fadlan and al-Andalusi traveled much of the same area and saw many of the same groups of people but often chose to focus on different cultural aspects. Ibn Fadlan chose to fixate on the rituals and customs of a culture, whereas al-Andalusi concentrated on resources. Both of them had identical religious view points and would attempt to convert the people they encountered to Islam and Islamic rituals. Finally, they had nearly opposite writing styles, with al-Andalusi being more passive, while Ibn Fadlan chose to write down his feelings, judgments, and the difficulties in his travels

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