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Preface
ManyscholarswhohaveaprofoundknowledgeofArabicandother
Orientallanguageshavewrittennumerousworkswhichtouchdirectly
orindirectlyonMuslimcivilization,itshistory,cultureandthe
vicissitudesofthecaliphate.
Thescholarswhohaveundertakenresearchintothehistoryofthe
caliphatehaveemployedtheMuslimhistoricalliteratureofthisage.
Someofthemhavetakenaninterestintheeconomichistoryof
variousperiodsthroughouttheMiddleAges.TheworksofMuslim
geographicalliteratureconstitutearepresentativebranchofMuslim
andArabicMedievalliteratureandcontain,additionally,many
accountsofMuslimactivitiesinthefieldoftrade.
Themainaimofthisstudyistopresentthroughselectedtextsthe
majorMuslimworksofgeographicalandhistoricalliteraturewhich
dealwiththematteroftradewithnortheasternEuropeduringthe
periodfromthe9thtothe11thcenturies.Thereisanabundanceof
textsreferringtothesocialandeconomiclifeduringthisperiodin
generalandthecommerciallife,typesofmerchandiseandtrade
routesinparticularwhichhavebeenstudiedandanalyzedfromthe
literaryandhistoricalpointofview.
Thisstudynotonlypresentstextsandaccountsmentionedin
Muslimsourcesbutalsoshedslightonthehistoryoftradebetween
thecaliphateandtheseEuropeanregions.Inordertomakethese
sourcesmoreinformative,itwasnecessarytocarryoutacomparative
studybetweenthesesourcessothatacommonreferencepointinthe
geographicalandhistoricaldataofthisépoquecouldbefound.
Mostoftheworksontheeconomichistoryofthecaliphatehave
dealtwiththematerialsinageneralmannerorhavebeenrestrictedto
astudyoftheregionaleconomichistory.Thestudyofeconomicsin
theMiddleAgesinIslamicworldandelsewherehasinevitablyledto
thequestionoftrade.Inthematterofcommerceandforeigntrade,
muchimportantresearchhasfocusedonMuslimtradewiththeFar
East(IndiaandChina).Asfarascommercialexchangesbetweenthe
caliphateandtheOccidentareconcerned,alsomanyworkshavebeen