New Determinations about when Ibn Rusta Wrote his Work al-Alak al-Nafisa

Abstract

It is unknow exactly when Ibn Rusta wrote his work al-A`kik al-naffsa. Although so far, innumerable date have been proposed on this subject by researchers the writing date of al-A'lnk al-naffsa remains uncertainty. On the other hand Ibn Rusta's work al-A'lak al-nafisa also contains travel of Harun b. Yahya who was one of the famous captives of the Middle Ages, from Constantinopolis to Rome. In this section of alA'lak al-nafisa, Harun b. Yahyd mentions the monarch that he defines as Basins al Malik (allAll In fact Basins was the title Basileus that used by Tzar Simeon of the Danubian Bulgars, after the siege of Constantinopolis in August 913. Therefore terminus post quem -probable earliest date- for the writing date of Ibn Rusta's work alal-nafTsa is September 913/Muharram-Safar 301. This conclusion we reached as a result invalidates the researchers' all offers about al-AV& al-nesa completed by Ibn Rusta before September 913.