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84-411: Crichton explains in an appendix that the book was based on two sources. The first three chapters are a retelling of Ahmad ibn Fadlan 's personal account of his actual journey north and his experiences with and observations of Varangians . The remainder is a retelling of Beowulf . The novel is set in the 10th century. The Caliph of Baghdad , Al-Muqtadir , sends his ambassador, Ahmad ibn Fadlan , on

168-493: A descendant of one of the Abbasid clan's junior branches. Her plotting for her favourites, the corruption of her family, and her hostility towards the "good vizier" Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah, who was dismissed due to her machinations in 917, are underlined in the chronicles of the period. However, when she married her niece to Abu'l-Abbas, a grandson of al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861), her rivals were quick to accuse her of aspiring to overthrow

252-460: A few days. Mu'nis now possessed virtually dictatorial authority over the Abbasid government. In 931, al-Muqtadir rallied enough support to force him to leave Baghdad, but in 932, after gathering troops, Mu'nis marched onto Baghdad and defeated the caliphal army before the city walls, with al-Muqtadir falling in the field. Triumphant, Mu'nis now installed al-Qahir as caliph, but the two quickly became estranged. The new caliph resumed contacts with

336-399: A frequently decisive influence on affairs, and especially on the advancement or dismissal of officials. After a period of consolidation and recovery under his father al-Mu'tadid and older half-brother al-Muktafi , al-Muqtadir's reign marks the onset of rapid decline. The full treasury inherited by al-Muqtadir was quickly emptied, and financial difficulties would become a persistent feature of

420-483: A full treasury behind. Thus the restored Caliphate at the time of al-Muktafi's death was less than half the size than in its heyday under Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), but it remained a powerful and viable state, with an army that, "though it was very expensive, was probably the most effective in the Muslim world", and an almost unchallenged legitimacy as the true successors of Muhammad . In 908, al-Muktafi fell ill, and

504-567: A member of an embassy of the Abbasid caliph , al-Muqtadir of Baghdad , to the king of the Volga Bulgars , known as his [[[:wikt:رسالة#Arabic|risāla]]] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script (pos 9) ( help ) ("account" or "journal"). His account is most notable for providing a detailed description of the Volga Vikings , including eyewitness accounts of life as part of

588-475: A mission to assist the king of the Volga Bulgars . Ahmad ibn Fadlan never arrives, as he is conscripted by a group of Vikings , led by their chieftain Buliwyf , to take part in a hero's quest to the north; he is taken along as the 13th member of their group to comply with a soothsayer's requirement for success. They travel to Hurot Hall, the home of King Hrothgar , to defend it from the 'mist-monsters', or 'wendol',

672-575: A new radical sect, the Qarmatians , emerged and in 899 seized Bahrayn . His successor, al-Muqtadir's older half-brother al-Muktafi , was a more sedentary figure but continued al-Mu'tamid's policies, and was able to score a major victory over the Qarmatians, and reconquer the Tulunid domains. All this came at the cost of gearing the state towards war: according to the historian Hugh N. Kennedy , based on

756-489: A philosopher who made fundamental and lasting contributions to the fields of medicine and chemistry; al-Farabi (d. 950), chemist and philosopher; Abu Nasr Mansur (d. 1036), mathematician; Alhazen (d. 1040), mathematician; al-Biruni (d. 1048), mathematician, astronomer, physicist; Omar Khayyám (d. 1123), poet, mathematician, and astronomer; and Mansur al-Hallaj , a mystic, writer and teacher of Sufism most famous for his self-proclaimed attainment of unity with God (which

840-400: A possible change or mistranslation of the original story by later copiers. The story is told by several different voices: the editor/narrator, the translators of the script, and the original author, Ahmad ibn Fadlan, who also relates stories told by others. A sense of authenticity is supported by occasional explanatory footnotes with references to a mixture of factual and fictitious sources. In

924-576: A sustained offensive into the borderlands of the Thughur and Armenia . As a result, in February 929 a palace revolt briefly replaced al-Muqtadir with his brother al-Qahir. The new regime failed to consolidate itself, however, and after a few days al-Muqtadir was restored. The commander-in-chief, Mu'nis al-Muzaffar, was by then a virtual dictator. Urged by his enemies, al-Muqtadir attempted to get rid of him in 932, but Mu'nis marched with his troops on Baghdad, and in

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1008-565: A trade caravan and witnessing a ship burial . He also notably described the lifestyle of the Oghuz Turks while the Khazaria, Cumans, and Pechenegs were still around. Ibn Fadlan's detailed writings have been cited by numerous historians. They have also inspired entertainment works, including Michael Crichton 's novel Eaters of the Dead and its film adaptation The 13th Warrior . Ahmad ibn Fadlan

1092-427: A treasury document from the time of al-Mu'tadid's accession, "out of the total expenditure of 7915 dinars per day, some 5121 are entirely military, 1943 in areas (like riding animals and stables) which served both military and non-military and only 851 in areas like the bureaucracy and the harem which can be described as truly civilian (though even in this case, the bureaucrats’ main purpose seems to have been to arrange

1176-452: A tribe of vicious savages (suggested by the narrator to have been possibly relict Neanderthals ) who go to battle wearing bearskins. After two devastating battles, Ibn Fadlan and the remaining Northmen decide to attack the Wendol village, which is located in a network of sea caves. They infiltrate the sea caves, assassinate the head of the Wendol tribe, and return to Hurot Hall. Buliwyf, however,

1260-534: Is tattooed from "the tips of his toes to his neck" with dark blue or dark green "designs" and all men are armed with an axe, sword, and long knife. Ibn Fadlan describes the Rus as perfect physical specimens and the hygiene of the Rūsiyyah as disgusting and shameless, especially regarding to sex (which they perform openly even in groups), and considers them vulgar and unsophisticated. In that, his account contrasts with that of

1344-600: Is dedicated to the description of a people he called the Rūs (روس) or Rūsiyyah . Though the identification of the people Ibn Fadlān describes is uncertain, they are generally assumed to be Volga Vikings ; the traders were likely of Scandinavian origin while their crews also included Finns , Slavs , and others. The Rūs appear as traders who set up shop on the river banks nearby the Bolğar camp. They are described as having bodies tall as (date) palm trees, with blond hair and ruddy skin. Each

1428-426: Is mortally wounded in the attempt. At Hurot, they encounter the Wendol in battle for a final time, defeating them. Ibn Fadlan is then allowed to continue on his journey. Eaters of the Dead is narrated as a scientific commentary on an old manuscript. The narrator describes the story as a composite of extant commentaries and translations of the original storyteller's manuscript. The narration makes several references to

1512-440: The ghilmān , the foreign-born "slave-soldiers" that now provided the professional mainstay of the Abbasid army. The ghilmān were highly proficient militarily, but also very expensive, and a potential political danger, as their first priority was securing their pay; alien to the mainstream of Muslim society, the ghilmān had no compunctions about overthrowing a vizier or even a caliph to secure their aims, as demonstrated during

1596-557: The Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir . It appears certain from his writing that prior to his departure on his historic mission, he had already been serving for some time in the court of al-Muqtadir. Other than the fact that he was both a traveler and a theologian in service of the Abbasid Caliphate, little is known about Ahmad Ibn Fadlan prior to 921 and his self-reported travels. Ibn Fadlan was sent from Baghdad in 921 to serve as

1680-639: The Byzantine Empress Zoe Karbonopsina sent two ambassadors to Baghdad with the view of securing an armistice and arranging for the ransom of the Muslim prisoners. The embassy was graciously received and peace restored. A sum of 120,000 golden pieces was paid for the freedom of the captives. All this only added to the disorder of the city. The people, angry at the success of the "Infidels" in Asia Minor and at similar losses in Persia, complained that

1764-732: The Rus , i.e. the Varangians (Vikings) on the Volga trade route . All told, the delegation covered some 4000 kilometers (2500 mi). Ibn Fadlan's envoy reached the Volga Bulgar capital on 12 May 922 (12 muharram AH 310). When they arrived, Ibn Fadlan read aloud a letter from the caliph to the Bulgar Khan and presented him with gifts from the caliphate. At the meeting with the Bulgar ruler, Ibn Fadlan delivered

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1848-405: The box office , earning about $ 62 million worldwide; the film's budget was more than $ 100 million. Ahmad ibn Fadlan Ahmad ibn Fadlan ibn al-Abbas al-Baghdadi ( Arabic : أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن راشد بن حماد , romanized :  Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Baghdādī ) was a 10th-century traveler from Baghdad , Abbasid Caliphate , famous for his account of his travels as

1932-520: The " Anarchy at Samarra " (861–870), when five caliphs succeeded one another. Caliphal authority in the provinces collapsed during the "Anarchy at Samarra", with the result that by the 870s the central government had lost effective control over most of the Caliphate outside the metropolitan region of Iraq . In the west, Egypt had fallen under the control of Ahmad ibn Tulun , who also disputed control of Syria with al-Muwaffaq, while Khurasan and most of

2016-524: The 16th century Persian geographer Amīn Rāzī called Haft Iqlīm ("Seven Climes "). Neither source seems to record Ibn Fadlān's complete report. Yāqūt offers excerpts and several times claims that Ibn Fadlān also recounted his return to Bagdad, but does not quote such material. Meanwhile, the text in Razawi Library MS 5229 breaks off part way through describing the Khazars. One noteworthy aspect of

2100-456: The 1999 film adaptation of the novel, The 13th Warrior , Ibn Fadlān is played by Antonio Banderas . Ibn Fadlān's journey is also the subject of the 2007 Syrian TV series Saqf al-Alam . Samirah "Sam" al-Abbas , a main character from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard , as well as her betrothed, Amir Fadlan , are said to be descendants of Ahmad ibn Fadlan. In the 2003 anime Planetes ,

2184-446: The Abbasid army by surprise and inflicted a defeat upon them, killing 400 men. In the same year Mu'nis, with Hamdanid help, successfully defended Baghdad itself against a determined Qarmatian invasion . The Qarmatian raids were particularly troublesome: not only did they devastate the fertile districts of the Sawad —the government's chief source of revenue—but also diminished the prestige of

2268-748: The Anarchy and restore control over the Jazira , the frontier towns of the Thughur , and the Jibal , but his attempts to capture Fars and Kirman were unsuccessful. In other areas, however, the fragmentation of the Islamic world continued: the Sajid dynasty was established in Adharbayjan , the Armenian princes became de facto independent, Yemen was lost to a local Zaydi dynasty , and

2352-455: The Caliph and place her nephew on the throne. In 922/3, she was arrested and replaced by Thumal , who tortured Umm Musa, her brother, and her sister, until they had revealed where her treasure—reportedly valued at one million gold dinars —was hidden. Thumal enjoyed a reputation for cruelty; her first master, Abu Dulaf, had used her to punish servants who displeased him. Another qahramāna , Zaydan ,

2436-507: The Caliph and the dynasty, especially after the Qarmatians sacked Mecca in 930 and carried off the Black Stone , precipitating the power struggle in Baghdad between Mu'nis and the court faction. In 928, following the dismissal of his favourite, Ali ibn Isa, from the vizierate, Mu'nis launched a coup and deposed al-Muqtadir and installed his half-brother al-Qahir in his place, but reneged after

2520-519: The Caliph cared for none of these things and, instead of seeking to restore the prestige of Islam, passed his days and nights with slave-girls and musicians. Uttering such reproaches, they threw stones at the Imam, as in the Friday service he named the Caliph in the public prayers. Some twelve years later, al-Muqtadir was subjected to the indignity of deposition. The leading courtiers having conspired against him, he

2604-471: The Caliph himself "did not concern himself with State affairs", leaving his officials to govern the state. Likewise, the 13th-century chronicler Ibn al-Tiqtaqa , regarded al-Muqtadir as a "squanderer" for whom "matters concerning his reign were run by women and servants, while he was busy satisfying his pleasure". Shaghab in particular is usually portrayed as a "rapacious and short-sighted schemer" by later historians. Shaghab spent most of her life confined in

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2688-782: The Islamic East had been taken over by the Saffarids , who replaced the Abbasids' loyal governor Muhammad ibn Tahir . Most of the Arabian peninsula was likewise lost to local potentates, while in Tabaristan a radical Zaydi Shi'a dynasty took power. Even in Iraq, the rebellion of the Zanj slaves threatened Baghdad itself, and further south the Qarmatians were a nascent threat. Until his death in 891, al-Muwaffaq

2772-489: The Persian traveler Ibn Rustah , whose impressions of the Rus were more favorable, although it has been attributed to a possibly intentional mistranslation with the original texts being more in line with Ibn Fadlan's narrative. He also describes in great detail the funeral of one of their chieftains (a ship burial involving human sacrifice ). Some scholars believe that it took place in the modern Balymer complex . They are

2856-592: The Volga Bulgars that Ibn Fadlan focused on was their religion and the institution of Islam in these territories . The Bulgar king had invited religious instruction as a gesture of homage to the Abbasids in exchange for financial and military support, and Ibn Fadlan's mission as a faqih was one of proselytization as well as diplomacy. For example, Ibn Fadlan details in his encounter that the Volga Bulgar Khan commits an error in his prayer exhortations by repeating

2940-670: The accession. The ḥājib Sawsan, however, was soon purged, as he grew arrogant and overbearing: he was arrested by Safi al-Hurami and died under house arrest a few days later. Al-Muqtadir was the first underage Caliph in Muslim history, and as such during the early years of his reign, a regency council ( al-sāda , "the masters") was set up, comprising, according to al-Tanukhi, his mother Shaghab, her personal agent ( qahramāna ) Umm Musa , her sister Khatif, and another former concubine of al-Mu'tadid's, Dastanbuwayh. Saghab, usually known simply as al-Sayyida ("the Lady"), utterly "dominated her son to

3024-403: The afterword, Crichton gives a few comments on the book's origin. A good friend of Crichton's was giving a lecture on the "Bores of Literature". Included in his lecture was an argument on Beowulf and why it was simply uninteresting. Crichton opined that the story was not a bore but was, in fact, a very interesting work. The argument escalated until Crichton stated that he would prove to him that

3108-484: The body and leaves a hand free. Each man has an axe, a sword, and a knife, and keeps each by him at all times. Each woman wears on either breast a box of iron, silver, copper, or gold; the value of the box indicates the wealth of the husband. Each box has a ring from which depends a knife. The women wear neck-rings of gold and silver. Their most prized ornaments are green glass beads. They string them as necklaces for their women. A substantial portion of Ibn Fadlan's account

3192-674: The body of an astronaut named Ibn Fadlan was buried in a metal coffin by being sent to the depths of space. However, although he says that he belongs to space, he somehow returned to his world environment and was perceived as space debris . Like Ibn Fadlan as a real-life voyager , the retired astronaut says something important. Al-Muqtadir Abū’l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭalḥa ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn Al-Muqtadir bi'Llāh ( Arabic : أبو الفضل جعفر بن أحمد المعتضد بالله ) (895 – 31 October 932 AD), better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadir bi'Llāh ( Arabic : , "Mighty in God" ),

3276-547: The caliph's letter, but was criticized for not bringing with him the promised money from the caliph to build a fortress as defense against enemies of the Bulgars. For a long time, only an incomplete version of the account was known, transmitted as quotations in the geographical dictionary of Yāqūt (under the headings Atil , Bashgird , Bulghār , Khazar , Khwārizm , Rūs ), published in 1823 by Christian Martin Frähn . Only in 1923

3360-573: The caliphal government. Ifriqiya fell to the Fatimids , although the commander-in-chief Mu'nis al-Muzaffar was able to repel their attempts to conquer Egypt as well. Nearer to Iraq, the Hamdanids became autonomous masters of the Jazira and the Qarmatians re-emerged as a major threat, culminating in their capture of Mecca in 929. The forces of the Byzantine Empire , under John Kourkouas , began

3444-464: The city to his home of Mosul . In the meantime, the other conspirators, led by Mahmud ibn Dawud ibn al-Jarrah, had assembled in a house and proclaimed Ibn al-Mu'tazz as caliph. This had the support of some of the qāḍīs , who regarded al-Muqtadir's accession as illegal, but others were opposed, reflecting the uncertainty and indecision of the conspirators themselves. Along with Ibn Hamdan's departure, this indecision allowed al-Muqtadir's followers to regain

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3528-508: The defeated court faction, and found himself soon under confinement in his palace. Nevertheless, in August 933 al-Qahir managed to lure Mu'nis and his main lieutenants to the palace, where they were executed. Al-Muqtadir's only wife was Hurra . She was the daughter of Commander-in-Chief, Badr al-Mut'adidi. He was generous towards her. After his death, she remarried a man of lower status. Al-Muqtadir had numerous concubines. One of his concubines

3612-433: The dynasty were able to establish virtual latifundia , aided by the system of muqāṭa'a , a form of tax farming in exchange for a fixed tribute, which they often failed to pay. Even the revenues of the Sawad , the rich agricultural lands of Iraq, are known to have declined considerably at the time. Nevertheless, through stringent economy, and despite near-constant warfare, both al-Mu'tadid and al-Muktafi were able to leave

3696-583: The eastern bank of the Volga River in what is now Russia . Additionally, the embassy was sent in response to a request by the king of the Volga Bulgars to help them against their enemies, the Khazars . Ibn Fadlan served as the group's religious advisor and lead counselor for Islamic religious doctrine and law. Ahmad Ibn Fadlan and the diplomatic party utilized established caravan routes toward Bukhara , now part of Uzbekistan , but instead of following that route all

3780-527: The ensuing battle on 31 October 932 al-Muqtadir was killed. The future al-Muqtadir was born on 14 November 895, as the second son of Caliph al-Mu'tadid (r. 892–902). His mother was the Byzantine slave concubine Shaghab . Al-Mu'tadid was the son of al-Muwaffaq , an Abbasid prince who became the Caliphate's main military commander, and de facto regent, during the rule of his brother, al-Mu'tamid (r. 870–892). Al-Muwaffaq's power relied on his close ties with

3864-475: The exclusion of the other women in his harem, including his wives and concubines"; al-Muqtadir would spend much of his time in his mother's quarters. As a result, government business came to be determined in the private quarters of the sovereign rather than the public palace dominated by the bureaucracy, and Saghab became one of the most influential figures of her son's reign, interfering in the appointments and dismissals of officials, making financial contributions to

3948-468: 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. (In chronological order) Ahmad Ibn Fadlān is a major character in Michael Crichton 's 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead , which draws heavily on Ibn Fadlān's writings in its opening passages. In

4032-405: The harem, where she had her own parallel bureaucracy, with her own kuttāb devoted to both civil and military affairs. Her power was such that when her secretary Ahmad al-Khasibi was appointed vizier in 925 due to her own and her sister's influence, he regretted the appointment, since his post as kātib to the queen-mother was more beneficial to himself. The most important members of her court were

4116-535: The latter would represent a major political departure, in effect a repudiation of al-Mu'tadid's coup that had deprived the offspring of al-Mu'tamid from power, and of the officials and ghilmān that had underpinned al-Mu'tadid's regime. The vizier indeed inclined towards Muhammad, but the latter prudently chose to await al-Muktafi's death before accepting. Indeed, the Caliph recovered, and was informed that people were discussing both Ibn al-Mu'tazz and Ibn al-Mu'tamid as his possible successors. This worried al-Muktafi, who in

4200-575: The members of the Hashimite families. The new caliph was also able to display his largess, and solicitude for his subjects, when he ordered the demolition of a suq erected by his predecessor near Bab al-Taq, where the merchants were forced to pay rent, instead of being able to offer their wares freely as before. This benefited the poor of the capital. Nevertheless, the intrigues surrounding his accession had not abated. The supporters of Ibn al-Mu'tazz in particular remained determined to get their candidate on

4284-449: The object of contempt at home and a tempting prize for attack from abroad. At court, Mu'nis was an early and staunch opponent of Ibn al-Furat, and an ally of the latter's main rival, Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah and his faction. The conflict between the two came to a head during Ibn al-Furat's third vizierate, in 923–924. This was a troubled period, which saw Mu'nis sent to quasi-exile in Raqqa ,

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4368-406: The older and experienced Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz , but Ali ibn al-Furat —who is usually portrayed as a villain by Miskawayh—proposing instead the thirteen-year-old Ja'far al-Muqtadir as someone weak, pliable, and easily manipulated by the senior officials. The vizier also consulted Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah , who refused to choose, and Muhammad ibn Abdun, whose opinion has not been recorded. In the end,

4452-404: The only one among the leading kuttāb to not have had any contact with the conspirators, was named vizier. Muhammad ibn al-Jarrah remained a fugitive and a price was placed on his head. Ibn al-Furat tried to limit retaliations and several of the prisoners were released, but many of the conspirators were executed. The troops, whose loyalty had been decisive, received another donative equal to that of

4536-418: The other hand, the issue of dynastic succession, and especially the loyalty of al-Mu'tadid's ghilmān to his family, evidently also played an important role. Al-Muqtadir's succession was unopposed, and proceeded with the customary ceremonies. The full treasury bequeathed by al-Mu'tadid and al-Muktafi meant that the donatives to the troops could easily be paid, as well as reviving the old practice of gifts to

4620-451: The payment of the army). It seems reasonable to conclude that something over 80 per cent of recorded government expenditure was devoted to maintaining the army." Paying the army thus became the chief concern of the government, but it became an increasingly difficult proposition as the outlying provinces were lost. The situation was further exacerbated by the fact that in the remaining provinces, semi-autonomous governors, grandees and members of

4704-466: The peoples and societies to Ibn Fadlan were "like asses gone astray. They have no religious bonds with God, nor do they have recourse to reason". I have seen the Rus as they came on their merchant journeys and encamped by the Itil . I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy; they wear neither tunics nor kaftans , but the men wear a garment which covers one side of

4788-596: The prayer twice. One scholar calls it an "illuminating episode" in the text where Ibn Fadlan expresses his great anger and disgust over the fact that the Khan and the Volga Bulgars in general are practicing some form of imperfect and doctrinally unsound Islam. In general, Ibn Fadlan recognized and judged the peoples of central Eurasia he encountered by the possession and practice of Islam, along with their efforts put forth to utilize, implement, and foster Islamic faith and social practice in their respective society. Consequently, many of

4872-467: The presence of the qāḍīs as witnesses officially nominated Ja'far as his heir, before dying. The two stories highlight different aspects of al-Muqtadir's accession: on the one hand, a cabal of officials choosing a weak and pliable ruler, "a sinister development" that inaugurated one "of the most disastrous reigns in the whole of Abbasid history [...] a quarter of a century in which all of the work of [al-Muqtadir's] predecessors would be undone", while on

4956-412: The same time, many names that would become famous in the world of literature and science lived during this and the following reigns. Among the best known are: Ishaq ibn Hunayn (d. 911) (son of Hunayn ibn Ishaq ), a physician and translator of Greek philosophical works into Arabic; ibn Fadlan , explorer; al Battani (d. 923), astronomer; al-Tabari (d. 923), historian and theologian; al-Razi (d. 930),

5040-511: The secretary to an ambassador from the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir to the iltäbär (vassal-king under the Khazars ) of the Volga Bulgaria , Almış . On 21 June 921 (11 safar AH 309), a diplomatic party led by Susan al-Rassi, a eunuch in the caliph's court, left Baghdad. Primarily, the purpose of their mission was to explain Islamic law to the recently converted Bulgar peoples living on

5124-472: The stewardesses or qahramāna , who were free to exit the harem and act as her agents in the outside world. These women wielded considerable influence, especially as intermediaries between the harem and the court; their influence with Shaghab could lead to the dismissal of even the viziers. The first incumbent was one Fatima, who drowned in the Tigris when her boat was caught in a storm. She was followed by Umm Musa,

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5208-546: The story could be interesting if presented in the correct way. Abdul Alḥaẓred's Necronomicon (of H. P. Lovecraft fame) is mentioned in passing as a reference. The critic from the New York Times called it "diverting but disappointing". The Chicago Tribune said it was "funny, fascinating and informative". In 1979, it was announced the movie version of the novel would be made by the newly formed Orion Pictures with Crichton as director. This did not occur. The novel

5292-427: The terrible Carmathians had been for the time put down. In Baghdad, al-Muqtadir, the mere tool of a venal court, was at the mercy of foreign guards, who, commanded for the most part by Turkish and other officers of foreign descent, were frequently breaking out into rebellion. Because of al-Muqtadir's ineffective rule, the prestige which his immediate predecessors had regained was lost, and the Abbasid throne became again

5376-468: The throne. According to Arib, the vizier al-Abbas had been one of the chief conspirators, but had begun to acquiesce to al-Muqtadir's rule, hoping to control him. His increasingly arrogant behaviour spurred the other conspirators on, and on 16 December 908, the Hamdanid commander al-Husayn ibn Hamdan led a group of men that killed the vizier as he was riding to his garden. The conspirators then sought to seize

5460-467: The treasury, and undertaking charitable activities. Indeed, a common feature of all accounts by medieval sources is that "mentions of al-Muqtadir are indissolubly tied to mentions not only of his viziers, but also of his female household", and this was one of the main points of criticism for subsequent historians. Thus the contemporary historian al-Mas'udi condemned al-Muqtadir's reign as one where "those who had power were women, servants and others", while

5544-408: The upper hand: Mu'nis al-Khadim led his ghilmān on boats across the Tigris to the house where Ibn al-Mu'tazz and the conspirators had gathered, and dispersed them—Arib records that Mu'nis' troops attacked the assembled supporters of Ibn al-Mu'tazz with arrows, while Miskawayh claims that they fled as soon as the troops appeared. Whatever the true events, the coup collapsed swiftly. Ali ibn al-Furat,

5628-484: The vizier concurred with Ibn al-Furat, and on al-Muktafi's death Ja'far was proclaimed as heir and brought to the caliphal palace; when the testament of al-Muktafi was opened, he too had chosen his brother as his successor. A different story is reported by the Andalusi historian Arib , whereby the vizier dithered between the candidacies of Ibn al-Mu'tazz and another older Abbasid prince, Muhammad ibn al-Mu'tamid. The choice of

5712-725: The way to the east, they turned northward in what is now northeastern Iran. Leaving the city of Gurgan near the Caspian Sea , they crossed lands belonging to a variety of Turkic peoples, notably the Khazar Khaganate , Oghuz Turks on the east coast of the Caspian, the Pechenegs on the Ural River and the Bashkirs in what is now central Russia, but the largest portion of his account is dedicated to

5796-561: The widespread torture of the Banu'l-Furat 's political opponents, as well as the resurgence of the Qarmatian threat with the sack of Basra and the destruction of the Hajj caravan returning from Mecca . All this culminated in a military coup, the deposition of Ibn al-Furat, the recall of Mu'nis, and the subsequent execution of the aged vizier and his son. This marked the apogee of Mu'nis's career: he

5880-521: The young caliph as well, but the latter had managed to flee to the Hasani Palace , where he barricaded himself with his supporters. The ḥājib (chamberlain) Sawsan was the driving force behind the loyalists' resistance, urging the commanders Safi al-Hurami, Mu'nis al-Khadim , and Mu'nis al-Khazin , to defend the caliph. Al-Husayn tried the entire morning to gain entrance, but failed; and then abruptly, and without notifying his fellow conspirators, fled

5964-405: Was Zalum. She was a Greek , and the mother of al-Muqtadir's eldest son, the future caliph al-Radi and Prince Harun. Another concubine was Dimna. She was the mother of Prince Ishaq, and the grandmother of the future caliph al-Qadir . Another concubine was Khalub also known as Zuhra. She was a Greek, and was the mother of the future caliph al-Muttaqi . Another concubine was Mash'ala. She

6048-525: Was a Slavic , and the mother of the future caliph al-Muti' . Another concubine was Khamrah. She was the mother of Prince Isa, and is described as having been very charitable to the poor and the needy. She died on 3 July 988, and was buried in Rusafah Cemetery. Another concubine was the mother of Prince Ibrahim. Another concubine was the mother of a son, born in 909. She was buried in Rusafah Cemetery. Al-Muqtadir had two daughters. One died in 911, and

6132-514: Was a manuscript discovered by Zeki Velidi Togan in the Astane Quds Museum , Mashhad , Iran . The manuscript, Razawi Library MS 5229 , dates from the 13th century (7th century Hijra ) and consists of 420 pages (210 folia). Besides other geographical treatises, it contains a fuller version of Ibn Fadlan's text (pp. 390–420). Additional passages not preserved in MS 5229 are quoted in the work of

6216-460: Was adapted into film as The 13th Warrior (1999), directed by John McTiernan and released by Walt Disney Pictures through its Touchstone Pictures banner. Crichton did some uncredited directing for a reshoot after Disney fired McTiernan for various reasons, one of which was going far over budget. Antonio Banderas played Ibn Fadlan. Crichton writes that he was "quite pleased" with the film, although it received mixed reviews and performed poorly at

6300-462: Was described as an Arab in contemporaneous sources. However, the Encyclopedia of Islam and Richard N. Frye add that nothing can be said with certainty about his origin, his ethnicity, his education, or even the dates of his birth and death. Primary source documents and historical texts show that Ahmad Ibn Fadlan was a faqih , an expert in Islamic jurisprudence and faith, in the court of

6384-522: Was engaged in a constant struggle to avert complete collapse, but managed to suppress the Zanj and repel the Saffarids. Upon his death, his son assumed his powers, and when Caliph al-Mu'tamid died in 892, he usurped the throne from his sons. Al-Mu'tadid would prove to be the epitome of the "warrior-caliph", spending most of his reign on campaign. He managed to overthrow the local dynasts who had seized power during

6468-534: Was eventually slain outside the city gate in 320 AH (932 AD). Al-Muqtadir's long reign had brought the Abbasids to their lowest ebb. Northern Africa was lost and Egypt nearly. Mosul had thrown off its dependence and the Greeks could make raids at pleasure along the poorly protected borders. Yet in the East formal recognition of the Caliphate remained in place, even by those who virtually claimed their independence; and nearer home,

6552-414: Was evidently nearing his end. The issue of succession had been left open, and with the Caliph incapacitated, the vizier al-Abbas ibn al-Hasan al-Jarjara'i took it upon himself to seek out a successor. Two different versions are told of the events: Miskawayh reports that the vizier sought the advice of the most important bureaucrats ( kuttāb , sing. kātib ), with Mahmud ibn Dawud ibn al-Jarrah suggesting

6636-413: Was forced to abdicate in favour of his brother al-Qahir , but, after scenes of rioting and plunder, and loss of thousands of lives, the conspirators found that they were not supported by the troops. Al-Muqtadir, who had been kept in safety, was again placed upon the throne. The state's finances fell after this event into so wretched a state that nothing was left with which to pay the city guards. Al-Muqtadir

6720-498: Was misunderstood and disputed as divinity), his poetry, and for his execution for heresy by al-Muqtadir. By the time of al-Muqtadir's reign, there had been war for some years between the Muslims and the Greeks in Asia, with heavy losses for the most part on the side of the Muslims, many of whom were taken prisoner. The Byzantine frontier, however, began to be threatened by Bulgarian hordes. So

6804-491: Was now in virtual control of the government and a decisive voice in the appointment of Ibn al-Furat's successors as viziers. At the same time, however, his power created a widening rift between him and the Caliph, with al-Muqtadir even plotting to assassinate his leading general in 927. In the summer of the same year, Mu'nis led an army to the border around Samosata , which the Byzantines had sacked. The Byzantines managed to catch

6888-422: Was quickly and decisively crushed. Al-Muqtadir enjoyed a longer rule than any of his predecessors, but was uninterested in government. Affairs were run by his officials, although the frequent change of viziers —fourteen changes of the head of government are recorded for his reign—hampered the effectiveness of the administration. The Abbasid harem , where his mother, Shaghab , exercised total control, also exercised

6972-412: Was the antithesis of Thumal: her house was used to jail several senior officials after they were dismissed, but it was a comfortable captivity, and she often provided refuge to those persecuted by their political rivals. The stand that had been made during the last four reigns to stay the decline of the Abbasid power at last came to an end. From al-Muqtadir's reign on, the Abbasids would decline. Yet, at

7056-541: Was the eighteenth caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 908 to 932 AD (295–320 AH ), with the exception of a brief deposition in favour of al-Qahir in 929. He came to the throne at the age of 13, the youngest Caliph in Abbasid history, as a result of palace intrigues. His accession was soon challenged by the supporters of the older and more experienced Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz , but their attempted coup in December 908

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