Articles
A Note on the Interpretation of the Term saqaliba in Ibn Fadlan’s account
Elena Galkina
Vostok/Oriens '2014, №6
The paper offers a new interpretation of the term saqaliba that Ahmad ibn Fadlan, a tenth-century Arab traveller, used in his Kitab as a designation of the population of the Middle Volga region. Most likely saqaliba in this region in the beginning of 10th century was a demonym (<δῆμος ‘deme’), i.e. a designation of certain territory residents, regardless of their genealogy and characteristics of the material and spiritual culture. Genesis of the demonym could be associated with the Imenkovo archaeological culture of the fourth – seventh centuries CE that seems similar to authentically Slavic cultures. From the eighth century onwards this culture was replaced by Turkic and Finno-Ugric cultures
Keywords: Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Cultural identity, Eastern Europe, Ethnicity, Medieval Arabic geography, Medieval Islamic travel writers, Volga Bulgaria
Pages: С. 24–31
