Questions about Ahmad ibn Rustah

Short answers, pulled from the story.

Who was Ahmad ibn Rustah and when did he live?

Ahmad ibn Rusta Isfahani was a tenth-century Muslim Persian explorer and geographer whose life extended beyond the year 903 CE. He was born in Rosta, a district within the city of Isfahan during the Abbasid Caliphate.

What is the title of the geographical compendium written by Ahmad ibn Rustah?

Ibn Rusta wrote a geographical compendium titled Kitāb al-A‘lāq al-Nafīsa which translates to Book of Precious Records. The text covers non-Islamic peoples across Europe and Inner Asia including the British Isles and Anglo-Saxon England.

How many districts called rostaqs did Ahmad ibn Rustah describe for Isfahan?

He described twenty districts called rostaqs containing details not found in other geographers' works. The town itself was perfectly circular with a circumference measuring half a parasang surrounded by walls defended by one hundred towers.

Why did Professor Daniel Chwolson misspell the name of Ahmad ibn Rustah as Ibn Dasta(h)?

Professor Daniel Chwolson misspelled his name as Ibn Dasta(h) when translating the work into Russian in 1869. Consecutive editions of that translation included footnotes suggesting the Arabic original actually meant unclean or impure rather than clean.

Which ancient ruler crowned within the midst of Slavs bore the title sacred king according to Ahmad ibn Rustah?

An ancient ruler crowned within the midst of Slavs bore the title sacred king and ruled more powerfully than his deputy Zupan. His capital city Drzvab hosted a fair lasting three days every month according to the chronicle Al-Djarmi.