FROM “A MASTERPIECE TO THOSE WHO CONTEMPLATE THE WONDERS OF CITIES AND THE MARVELS OF TRAVELLING” OF IBN BATTUTA
The Volga Bulgarians were one of the first Turkic peoples to adopt Islam as the state religion. It is generally believed that this event occurred in 922 as a result of the arrival of the Baghdad embassy of Caliph Ja'far ibn 'Abdallah al-Muqtadir, the description of whose journey is given in the "Risala" of Ahmad b. Fadlan. On the eve of this anniversary date, the editorial board of our magazine publishes materials, characterizing the Muslim culture of the Turkic peoples of the Russian Federation. This issue publishes fragments from the writings of the world-famous Arab traveler, merchant and scholar Ibn Battuta.