About Slavs (Sakalib). The Slavs from the descendants of Mazan’s son Yaphetov, and their dwellings (stretch) from the north do not yet reach the west. Says Ibrahim son of Yakub Israelite: The countries of the Slavs stretch from the Syrian sea to the surrounding sea to the north. And the tribes of the north took possession of some of them and dwell between them (the Slavs) for this time. They (consist of) numerous, diverse tribes. And in former times a certain king gathered them, the title of which was Maha, and he was from one of their tribe, which was called Vlınbaba; and this tribe was readable by them. Then - their speech was disconnected and their (state) order ceased, and their tribes became (separate state) groups and the king reigned in each of their tribes. And now there are four kings: the king (c) al-Blgarin, and Bwislav (Bryslav), the king of Fraghi and Bhyma and Krakva, and Mshka, the king of the north, and Nakur in the far west. And border with the country Nakur-a in the west of Sknun (Sksun = Saxony; de G.) and part of Marman (Grman? De G.) and his (Naur-a) country - a country with low bread prices, rich in horses; from there they are also exported to other countries. They (the people of this country) are fully armed, (consisting) of armor, helmets and swords. From Marzbrg-a to Mileh-a - 10 miles. (From there) to the bridge - 50 miles. And this is a mile long wooden bridge. And from the bridge to the Nakur-a fortress - about 40 miles; she is also called 'Azzan, which means “big fortress” (o), and opposite Azzan is a fortress built in a freshwater lake. And in this way, the Slavs build most of their fortresses: they are sent to the meadows with abundant waters and reeds, and they designate a circular or quadrangular place, depending on the shape that they want to give to the fortress and its size. And they dig a ditch around it and dump the excavated earth into a shaft, having strengthened it with boards and piles similar to the bat earth, until the wall reaches the desired height. And then the door is measured from which side they want, and they come to it by a wooden bridge. And from the fortress of 'Azzan-a to the surrounding sea eleven miles; and not otherwise troops penetrate into the countries of Nakur, but with great difficulty, for all his country is meadows, reeds and marsh.
As for the land of Bvishlav, its length from the town of Fraga to the town of Krakva is a three-week journey. And it is adjacent in length with the countries of the Turks. And the city of Fraga is built of stone and lime, and it is the richest of the cities of commerce. Rus-s and Slavs come to him from the city of Krakva with goods and come to them (the inhabitants of Fraghi) from the Türkic countries Muslims and Jews and Türks, also with goods and mitlicas Byzantine, and export flour from them, tin and different furs. Their country is the best of the countries of the north and the richest in life supplies: they sell spelled from them for a knshar as much as enough for one person per month, and barley is sold for a knshar for one horse’s feed for 40 days and ten hens are sold for one knshar. And in the city of Braga, saddles and bridles and shields are used and used in their countries. And light kerchiefs are made in the Bwimah countries, of a very thin fabric similar to nets, which are useless. Their price is constantly knshar for a dozen scarves. They trade and settle with each other; they have (whole) vessels of them and they are considered their riches and the most valuable things; they buy wheat and flour and horses and gold and silver and all sorts of things. It is remarkable that the inhabitants of Bvyma are dark and black-haired and that their redhead is rare. The road from Marzbrga (h) to the countries of Bvishlav .... From there, to the fortress of Flyvy (?) 10 miles. And from there to Yrb'azab (t) - two miles; it is a fortress built of stone and putty and it also lies on the river Slava. And the river Nvda flows into it (in Glory). And from the fortress of Nvb'rad to the “salt mine of the Jews” - which is also on the River Glory - 30 miles. From there to the fortress of Nvrnhyin (?) Which is on the Mldava River ... and from there to the end of the forest - 25 miles. And from the beginning to the end - 40 miles in the mountains and inaccessible places. And from it (the forest) to the wooden bridge across the swamp - about 2 miles, from the end of the forest, (and along this bridge) come to the city of Braga.
As for the country of Mshka, it is the largest of their (Slav) countries. It is rich in bread and meat and honey and arable land. And the taxes collected by him (Mshkoi) (paid) in Byzantine mitkaly; they are (constitute) the content of his people. Each month, each of them has a certain number of them (mitts). And he has 3000 Dzra (Dzrag?) And these are warriors, a hundred of which equals ten hundreds of others. And he gives these people dresses and horses and weapons and all that they need. And when a child is born to any of them, then he (Mshka) immediately after the birth of a child orders him to pay his salary, whether it is masculine or female. And when it reaches the age of majority, he will marry him, if it is male, and pay for him the wedding gift to the girl's father. If it is female, he will marry her and pay her father a wedding gift. The Slavic wedding gift is very significant and their customs on this score are similar to those of Berber. And when someone has two daughters or three, they become the reason for their enrichment; if two sons are born, they are the cause of his impoverishment. And they border Mshka in the east of Rus and in the north of Brus. Dwellings Brus-ov near the surrounding sea. And they have a special language, they do not know the languages of the neighboring peoples; and they are famous for their bravery: when the (enemy) army comes to them, none of them are waiting for 31 to be joined by his comrade, but he stands not caring about anyone and cuts with his sword until he dies. And they make raids on them Rus ships on the west. And to the west of Rus - the city of women. Onex own lands and slaves. And they become pregnant from their slaves, and when one of them gives birth to a son, she kills him. They ride and personally go to war and have the courage and bravery. Says Ibrahim, son of Yakub the Israelite: “The news of this city is true. I told this to Huta, the King of Rum. ” And to the west of this city is a tribe of Slavs, which is called the “community” of Avbab. It (a) lives in the swamplands of the Mshka countries to the northwest. They have a large city on the surrounding sea, which has 12 gates and a harbor. And there they have excellent port regulations. And they are fighting with Mshkoi and their strength is great. And they have no king and they do not obey one person, and their elders are their rulers.
As for the king Al-Blkarin, then say Ibrahim, the son of Yakub: I did not enter his country, but I saw his ambassadors in the city of Marzbrg when they came to the king Huta; they wore narrow dresses and girded with long belts on which buttons of gold and silver were attached. Their king is of high rank: he puts on a crown on his head, has secretaries and managers and officials, orders and forbids according to (established) procedures and ceremonies, as is customary for kings and grandees. And they know the different languages and translate the gospel into the Slavic language; they are christians. Says Ibrahim, the son of Yakub: “And Blkadin adopted Christianity .... to the country of Rum-s when he besieged the city of Constantinople, while the king managed to appease him; and he gave him rich gifts; and to what he tried to satisfy him belonged and the fact that he married his daughter. And she then prompted him (her husband) to adopt Christianity. ”The author (al-Bekri) says:“ And Ibrahim’s words point out that his acceptance of Christianity was after 300 years of Hydzhra, while others say that those who accepted him adopted Christianity during the time of Tsar Bsus (Bslus de G.) and then remained Christians for this time. "Says Ibrahim:" Constantinople is south of Blkdin and is also bordering them in the east and north of al-Badjanaki. To the west from it (Constantinople) is Lake Badgia (head Bnahia). This is the gulf that emerges from the Syrian Sea, between the “great land” and Constantinople; and it surrounds the great land (i.e.) of the coast of Ruma (Rome) and the coast of Lnkbrdia (= Langobardia; by manuscript distorted in al-Brkria) and ends at Aquilai (head of Anflan). And thus, all these localities form one (semi-) island which from the south surrounds the Syrian Sea, from the east and north the Bay of Bnadzhii (Venice); and in the west, he (this peninsula) has an outcome. And the Slavs cover both sides of this bay from its very exit in the west, in the Syrian sea. To the east of them, al-Blkarin, and in the west - the other Slavs. Those who live to the west of it (the Gulf) are the bravest, and the inhabitants of that country ask for their protection and fear their strength. And their countries are high mountains with inaccessible roads. In general, the Slavs are courageous and offensive people, and if they were not separated due to the numerous ramifications of their knees and the dispersion of their tribes, then no nation in the world would have tried them. 44 They are zealous in farming and in obtaining their own food and are superior in this to all the peoples of the north. And the goods reach them by sea and land to the Rus and to Constantinople. And the chief tribes of the north speak Slavonic, because they are mixed with them, such as the tribes of al-Trshkin and Anqliy and Badzhanakia and Rus and the Khazars. And in all countries of the north, hunger is not the result of lack of rain and prolonged drought, but (occurs) from an abundance of rain and prolonged dampness. And their drought is not considered fatal, because nobody whom it affects is not afraid of it, because of the humidity of their lands and the great coldness of them. They sow in two seasons, in summer and in spring, and reap two harvests. And most of their sowing consists of millet. The cold is healthy for them, even if it was very strong, and the heat for them is destructive. And they cannot travel to the countries of Lnkbardia because of their hotness, because the heat from them (Langobards) is very strong, as a result of which they (Slavs) die. Health for them is possible only at this (temperature) at which the composition is in a solid state. When it melts and boils, the body dries and as a result, death occurs. And there are two diseases common to all of them; there is hardly any free from them. This is a dual tumor: erysipelas and hemorrhoids. They refrain from eating chickens, for, they harm them, as they argue and strengthen their faces; but they eat the meat of cows and geese and it meets their needs. They dress in wide dresses, but only the bottom of their sleeves is narrow. And their kings keep their wives prisoners and are very jealous. And one man has 20 wives and more. Most of the trees in their countries are apple, pear and peach trees. And they have a wonderful bird, which is dark green above. She imitates all the sounds of man and animals that she hears; and sometimes they manage to catch her; and they hunt for it and it is called in Slavic sb. Then they run into a wild chicken, which is Slavic called ttr. She has delicious meat and her screams are heard from the treetops at a distance of one and more farsah. She is of two genera: there are black and speckled, more beautiful than peacocks. And they have different string and wind instruments: they have a wind instrument, the length of which is more than two cubits and a string one, on which there are eight strings. The inner side of it is flat and not convex. Drinks - and their hop drinks are made from honey.
Masudi says: And the Slavs break up into many tribes. To their tribes belong Sbrab and Dulab and and Namjin (ruled by Nabzhin). This tribe is the bravest of them and the most warlike. And (their tribes belong to) the tribe, which is called Srnin (c. Srbin) and which they are afraid of, and another tribe called Mizaz and (the tribes) Khairavas (c. Hrvatin) and Sasin and Hshabine (a). And of these tribes, some follow the Christian teaching and it is for the Jacobite sense, others do not have a frank book and do not follow any religious law and are pagans. And the king's tribe belongs to the latter. The tribe of which we are told that it is called Srnin burns itself in fire when the head of the tribe dies. And they also burn their horses. And they have customs similar to Indian customs. They border on the east and are far from the west. And they rejoice and have fun while burning the deceased and claim that their joy and their gaiety (occurs) from the fact that his (deceased) Lord took pity on him. The wives of the dead cut their hands and faces with knives. And when one of them claimed that she loved him, she (after his death) fastens a rope, rises to her in a chair, tightly ties her neck to her; then a chair is pulled out from under it and it remains hung, hanging out until it dies. Then she is burned and so she connects with her husband.
Their women (Slavs), when they marry, do not commit adultery. And when the girl loves someone, then she goes to him and satisfies her passion. And when a man marries and finds his wife virgin, he says to her: if you had something good, men would love you and you would choose someone who would have deprived you of innocence - and chases her away and renounces her .
The countries of the Slavs are very cold; and they are most cold when the nights are lunar and the days are clear. Then the cold increases and the frost increases. And the earth then becomes like a stone and all liquids freeze; and the well and the channel are covered, as it were, with plaster, so that they become like a stone. And when people emit water from the nose, their beards are covered with layers of ice like glass, so you need to break them until you get warm or come to the shelter. - And when nights are dark and foggy days, then the frost decreases and the cold subsides, and at this time the ships break down and those that are in them perish, for they find (on ships) ice from the rivers of these countries like solid mountains. Sometimes it is possible for a young man or a strong man to grasp at a similar piece and be saved on it.
And they do not have a bath; but they make themselves a tree house and caulk the gaps with some matter, which forms on their trees, resembles a greenish water moss and which they call 'uj. It serves them instead of tar for their ships. Then they arrange a hearth of stones in one of the corners of it (this house) and at the very top against the hearth open a window for the passage of smoke. When he (the hearth) becomes hot, they close this window and lock the doors of the house - and there are tanks for water in it - and pour the hot hearth with this water; and then couples rise. And in their hand, each of them has a bunch of dry branches, with which they set in motion the air and attract it to themselves. And then their pores open and the excess comes out of their bodies and rivers flow from them. And do not remain on any of them traces of a rash or abscess. And they call this house al-atbba. And their kings ride large, rolling, high carts on four wheels and legs; There are four strong supports in their corners and a body that is upholstered with silk is hung to them with strong chains. And therefore the one who sits in it does not shake as the cart shakes. They also do it for the sick and wounded.
The Slavs are fighting with the Rum-s, Ifrendzhami and Nvkbrd-s (Langobards) and other peoples, and are fighting with alternate happiness.
