the Radhanite merchants

التجار الراذنية

The Radhanite Jewish merchants of Ibn Khurdadhbih's register — speakers of Arabic, Persian, Greek, Frankish, Andalusi and Slavonic who travelled from East to West and back by land and sea, carrying slaves, brocade, beaver and sable furs and swords from Francia through Farama, across the twenty-five-farsakh portage to Qulzum, and down the eastern sea past al-Jar and Jeddah to Sind, India and China, returning with musk, aloes, camphor and cinnamon; their overland route ran al-Andalus–Tangier–Ifriqiya–Egypt–Ramla–Damascus–Kufa–Baghdad–Basra–Ahwaz–Fars–Kirman–Sind–India–China, with a northern alternative through the Slavs' lands to Khamlij the Khazar capital, the Caspian, Balkh and beyond the Oxus ¹.

Overview

Ibn Khurradadhbih describes them as Jewish merchants who speak Arabic, Persian, Roman, Frankish, Andalusian and Slavic. They travel by land and sea from the East to the West and from the West to the East. ¹

Their goods

From the West they bring slaves, concubines, brocade, sable and squirrel furs, fox pelts, and swords. From China they carry musk, aloes wood, camphor and cinnamon. ¹

Their routes

By sea, they board ships from the Franks in the western sea and land at al-Farama, then carry their goods on the back of beasts to al-Qulzum, and sail the eastern sea to Sind, India and China. There is also an overland route from al-Andalus to Tangier, then Ifriqiya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Persia, Sind, India and China. Sometimes they pass through the lands of the Saqaliba, the Khamlij city of the Khazars and the sea of Jurjan, to Transoxiana and China. ¹

the Radhanite merchants

At a glance

Overview

Their goods

Their routes

Sources