Sulaiman al-Tajir facts for kids

Sulaimān at-Tājir (whose name means Solomon the Merchant in Arabic) was a brave Muslim merchant, traveler, and writer from a place called Siraf in what is now Iran. He lived in the 800s, which was the 9th century. Sulaiman went on long journeys to faraway lands like India and China. He wrote down what he saw and experienced around the year 850 AD.

Sulaiman is especially famous for his trip to Guangzhou, a big city in Tang China. In 851, he was amazed by the excellent quality of porcelain he found there.

Who Was Sulaiman at-Tajir?

We don't know a lot about Sulaiman's early life. But his second name, al-Tajir, clearly tells us he was a merchant. This means he bought and sold goods, traveling far to do so.

His Amazing Journeys

Sulaiman's travels took him across vast distances. He visited India during the time of the Pala Empire, a powerful kingdom. He wrote about a kingdom he called 'Ruhma' and described its strong military.

He also wrote about Mihira Bhoja, who was a very important emperor of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. Sulaiman said that Mihira Bhoja had a huge army and excellent horse riders. He also noted that this emperor was not friendly towards Muslims.

What He Saw in China

One of Sulaiman's most important stops was the city of Guangzhou in China. He observed many interesting things there:

• The Chinese used fingerprint records to identify new visitors from other countries.
• They charged very high prices for goods brought in from other lands.
• The sea route to China was dangerous because of pirates and frequent heavy rain.

Sulaiman also noticed that the local Muslim people in Guangzhou had their own Mosque (a place of worship) and bazaars (markets). He mentioned that the Muslim community had its own Imam (religious leader) and a Judge. This judge was chosen by the Chinese Emperor Xuānzong of Tang himself.

He also watched how porcelain was made. Porcelain is a type of fine ceramic. Sulaiman also learned about Guangzhou's granary system, which stored grain. He saw how people drank tea and how the city's government worked.

Coming Home

After his long journey from China, Sulaiman landed at Basra, a city in what is now Iraq. From there, he traveled to Baghdad, which was a very important city at that time.

See also

• Sino-Arab relations
• The Maritime Silk Road (film), a 2011 Iranian film based on his journey