Researchers in Sweden have found Arabic characters woven into burial costumes from Viking boat graves. The discovery raises new questions about the influence of Islam in Scandinavia, writes journalist Tharik Hussain.

Nyu said:
"writes journalist Tharik Hussain."

Totally not biased.

Nyu said:
"writes journalist Tharik Hussain."

Totally not biased.

NudeBear said:
This article needs to chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllll with the drama. It's already known that Viking trade routes extended all the way to Baghdad, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. Besides back then the "Muslim world" was quite influential, and a traces of its cultural impacts can be found all over Europe, North Africa and Asia. I don't think "Arabic artifacts" are signs that ancient Swedes took Islam seriously, just more evidence of cultural exchange between Europe and the middle east. Damn, talk about jumping the gun.

Salvatia said:
vangarian guards?

NoLiferSoul said:
Thread cleaned

Please keep on topic and don't derail the thread to insult other people.

Comic_Sans said:
I don’t see what’s so mind blowing about this. It’s already a well known fact that the trade routes of the vikings extended all the way to the Middle East, so it’s not that unbelievable that one or two vikings might have found some Middle Eastern pattern they liked and then decided to weave similar patterns into their clothings.

Unless the writer is somehow trying to make the argument that Scandinavia used to be Islamic, if so then I only have one thing to say and that is LOL

Moog said:
They've already found many items and valuables of Middle-Eastern origin in Scandinavia, so it doesn't really come as a surprise that there would be Arabic influences in some of the things; Nordic traders and mercenaries often travelled down south and interacted with the other traders there via trade routes, and some probably experienced many things that changed their outlook on things (as well as a lot of cool foreign swag!). There is nothing controversial about this. The controversial part would obviously be if these Northmen really were "Muslims," which I really doubt. Also, at one point during the middle ages it was common practice to imitate Arab art and style, without it having any deeper implications than being a fancy fashion statement.

Generally speaking, people have a tendency of jumping to conclusions a lot when it comes to viking-related stuff. "See, this cloth proves that vikings were muslims!" or "This woman was buried with a ceremonial sword – she was obviously a shieldmaiden! This challenges everything we previously thought we knew about the vikings for sure!" etc.

Nyu said:
"writes journalist Tharik Hussain."

Totally not biased.

traed said:

Aw I missed the shit show.



I just wanted to see what would happen if I put this out there since it seemed to make that implication almost although it did cllarify it was likely just copying.


Is there some map of their route? Im curious how they went to the middle east when part of it is pretty land locked.

traed said:

Aw I missed the shit show.

traed said:
Is there some map of their route? Im curious how they went to the middle east when part of it is pretty land locked.

Fijure said:


They went down the Don and Dnjepr rivers through Ukraine to the Black Sea, then ported from the Sea of Azov to the Volga River, where they got to the Caspian Sea, from where it was only a short route to Baghdad, the main city of the Islamic world at the time. Their main trade was here, though there are also implications in the sagas that some served as Byzantine mercenaries in Inner Anatolia and the Levant, specifically it is said that Norwegian king Harald Haardraada visited Jerusalem while in Byzantine service.

A crude map of their routes are found here: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Varangian_routes.png

OT: Anyone who's ever opened up a book about the Viking Age knows that Swedish vikings in particular had plenty of contact with the Middle East, and that trade contacts were extensive, even ad Buddha statue has been found in a Viking Age trade post in Sweden, and we have accounts of an Arab merchant visiting Denmark in the tenth century. This is an interesting find further corroborating what we already know, but it doesn't come with anything new to our Viking knowledge, at least not until further investigations are made. Anyone trying to draw any meaningful connection between this and the current day migrant crisis is just laughable.

Kuma said:

andslightly reminder that descovery age strted because yiu guys desperate for trade...

people simply underestimating a lot trade, and more focusing historical religion, and political big people...

europe is more landlocked than middle east during that time...

traed said:
I find Crash Course to be difficult to listen to plus it shouldn't be used as a go to source for information since I in the past found many videos with totally wrong information so I hope you don't do that for topics you're less familiar with.

I knew they traded a traveled a lot but i want sure how frequent it was.

Viking textile did not feature word 'Allah', expert says

Medieval Islamic art and archaeology professor Stephennie Mulder disputes the findings, saying the inscription has 'no Arabic at all'



An expert has disputed claims that Allah's name was embroidered into ancient Viking burial clothes - a discovery hailed as "staggering" when Swedish researchers announced their findings last week.

After reexamining the cloth, archaeologist Annika Larsson of Uppsala University claimed the silk patterns which were originally thought to be ordinary Viking Age decoration, showed a geometric Kufic script. The patterns were found on woven bands as well as items of clothing in two separate grave sites, prompting the suggestion that Viking funeral customs had been influenced by Islam.

Media around the world including The Independent reported on the finding, but now a leading expert in mediaeval Islamic art and archaeology has disputed the claim and said the inscription contains "no Arabic at all."

Stephennie Mulder, a professor from the University of Texas in Austin, said the error stems from a "serious problem of dating". She claims Kufic script did not occur until 500 years after the Viking age.

"It’s a style called square Kufic, and it’s common in Iran, C. Asia on architecture after 15th century," she wrote on Twitter.

She said even if Kufic script did exist, the inscription embroidered into the textile still does not mean anything in Arabic.

"Let’s assume there are 10th century Central Asian textiles with square Kufic. Even so, it turns out Larsson’s drawing doesn’t say ‘Allah'," she wrote. "Instead the drawing says للله ‘lllah’, which basically makes no sense in Arabic.

Zuggy said:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/allah-viking-burial-fabrics-false-kufic-inscription-clothes-name-woven-myth-islam-uppsala-sweden-a8003881.html