Arsania

Arthania ( ’Arṯāniya; or (); ; ) was one of the three states of the Rus or Saqaliba (early East Slavs) with its capital in Artha (). The Persian geographer Abu Zayd al-Balkhi described Arthania in his book (now lost) dating from CE and mentioned in works by some of his followers: (Ibn Hawqal, Al-Istakhri, and Hudud ul-'alam). The two other Rus centers identified in the Arabic-language sources were Slawiya ( Ṣ(a)lāwiya, tentatively identified with the land of the Ilmen Slavs, see Rus Khaganate) and Kuyaba ( Kūyāba; usually identified with Kyiv).

Ibn Hawqal claims that nobody had ever visited Artha because the locals killed every foreigner attempting to penetrate their land. They are involved in trade with Kuyaba, selling sable furs, lead, and a modicum of slaves.