the Rus
الروس
The Rus as Ibn Khurdadhbih records them — a people of the Saqaliba whose merchants carry beaver and black-fox pelts and swords from farthest Slav-land to the Roman sea, paying a tithe to its lord; or down the Slavs' river past Khamlij, the Khazar capital, paying its lord likewise, then out onto the Caspian — five hundred farsakhs across — and sometimes bearing their goods overland from Jurjan by camel to Baghdad, using Slavic interpreters and professing Christianity so as to pay jizya 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Global / Diaspora
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
According to Ibn Khurradadhbih, the Rus are a people of the Slavs. Their merchants carry brocade, black fox pelts and swords from the furthest Slavic lands to the Roman sea, where the Roman ruler collects a tithe on them. 1
If they travel along the river of the Slavs, they pass by the Khamlij city of the Khazars, where its ruler collects a tithe on them, and then reach the sea of Jurjan. Sometimes they carry their goods by camel from Jurjan to Baghdad. 1
Slave interpreters from the Slavs translate for them. He records that they claim to be Christians, and so they pay the poll tax. 1
Sources
- Kitab al-Masalik wa-l-Mamalik of Ibn Khurdadhbih, pp. 154-155
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “the Rus”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/group/al-rus/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.