These nineteen essays on language, travel narratives, trade, religion, archaeology, and sex by top experts are as lively and compelling as Ibn Fadlans original narrative. A must-read for anyone interested in cultural encounters. * Valerie Hansen, Stanley Woodward Professor, Yale University, USA * Muslims on the Volga in the Viking Age masterfully takes the reader into the three different medieval worlds of urban Islam, the Pontic steppe empires and the Nordic realm of Vikings and Rus. Guided by the fascinating travelogue of the diplomat Ibn Fadlan, the contributions brilliantly reveal how intercontinental trade acted as nexus between these diverse realms. The book is a piece of excellent scholarship and is delightful to explore. * Christoph Baumer, author of History of the Caucasus: Volume 1 (2021) and History of the Caucasus: Volume 2 (2023) * This generous collection of essays offers rich context for readers of Ibn Fadlan's famous medieval travelogue to the Volga Bulgars and his observations of the Viking Rus and their customs. The editors are to be congratulated for bringing together cutting-edge scholarship from diverse fields on Ibn Fadlan's broad literary context as well as on the economies and societies he so memorably encountered. * Paul M. Cobb, Professor, University of Pennsylvania, USA * A wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary, and expertly-edited collection of papers by scholars clearly suited to a close treatment of their respective topics. As each attests, Ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of his Volga mission offers up many puzzles. The arguments contained herein move their solution ahead a number of paces. * Matthew Gordon, Professor, Miami University, USA *
