This ring was discovered on a woman buried around 1,200 years ago in Birka, an ancient Viking city located 30 km (19 miles) west of contemporary Stockholm, Sweden. What sets this ring apart is the inscription "for Allah" in Kufic Arabic, commonly used between the 8th and 10th centuries. It provides evidence of direct contact between Vikings and the Abbasid Caliphate, the third caliphate succeeding the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Delving into the topic, I explored various Arab travelers and their extensive premodern explorations. The most prolific pre-modern explorer was Ibn Battuta, a Muslim Moroccan who is believed to have traversed 117,000 km (72,000 miles). Following him were Chinese explorer Zheng He, covering 50,000 km (30,000 miles), and Marco Polo, with a journey spanning 24,000 km (15,000 miles).
I find the original title of Ibn Battuta's travelogue intriguing: "A Masterpiece to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling." The work was later renamed to "The Travels". Ibn Battuta, initially on a pilgrimage to Mecca at 21, ended up being a world traveler, not returning to Morocco for 24 years.
"I set out alone, having neither fellow-traveler in whose companionship I might find cheer, nor caravan whose part I might join, but swayed by an overmastering impulse within me and a desire long-cherished in my bosom to visit these illustrious sanctuaries. So I braced my resolution to quit my dear ones, female and male, and forsook my home as birds forsake their nests. My parents being yet in the bonds of life, it weighed sorely upon me to part from them, and both they and I were afflicted with sorrow at this separation.
What are your thoughts on Chris Christie's words to Trump supporters in Florida?
Does he have a point?
“Now look, every one of those boos, everyone one of those cat calls, everyone one of those yells will not … solve one problem we face in this country. Your anger against the truth is reprehensible.”
“When you think about the problems that our country and this world is facing, when you think about that, this type of pettiness … is beneath … the process of electing a president.”
“The problem is … you fear the truth. You want to shout down any voice that says anything different than what you want to hear. And you can continue to do it. And believe me … it doesn’t bother me one bit.”
The #CRD has purchased the former Royal Oak Golf Course in #Saanich.
This site has enormous potential that is yet to be determined.
Looking forward to the exciting future and public benefits of this site!
@EndWokeness And by that logic, the hundreds of thousands of Poles that fled Poland before and after WW2 should have been turned away from Canada and the US?
Channel 4 host Cathy Newman (2018): "How many refugees has Poland taken?"
Polish MEP Dominik Tarczyński: "Zero"
Host in shock: "And you’re proud of that?"
Tarczyński: "This is why our government was elected. This is why Poland is so safe."
The rest of the West should learn to be like Poland. 0 refugees, 0 attacks.
@nathaliejacoby1 Not smart? Thoughtless? insensitive?mean? unxistian? ignorant? (but not in a good way).. At least from what is seen and heard in the public domain. In private life she may just be dumb.