ris i ▁( 1 0 9 9 – 1 1 6 5 / 6 6 ) ▁in ▁his ▁famous ▁Tab ula ▁Roger iana , ▁which ▁mentions ▁I cel and ' s ▁location ▁in ▁the ▁North ▁Sea . ▁ ▁The ▁long - distance ▁trad ing ▁and ▁ra iding ▁networks ▁of ▁the ▁Vik ings ▁will ▁have ▁meant ▁that ▁various ▁I cel and ers , ▁like ▁the ▁Norweg ians ▁Rö gn val d ▁K ali ▁Kol sson ▁or ▁Har ald ▁Hard r ada , ▁came ▁into ▁direct ▁contact ▁with ▁the ▁Muslim ▁world ▁during ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges ; ▁indirect ▁connections ▁are ▁best ▁att ested ▁by ▁finds ▁of ▁Arab ic ▁co ins ▁in ▁I cel and , ▁as ▁also ▁widely ▁in ▁the ▁Vik ing ▁world . ▁ ▁Following ▁I cel and ' s ▁conversion ▁to ▁Christian ity ▁around ▁ 1 0 0 0 , ▁some ▁I cel and ers ▁encountered ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁world ▁through ▁pil gr image , ▁for ▁example ▁to ▁Jerusalem , ▁of ▁the ▁kind ▁described ▁by ▁Abb ot ▁Nik ul ás ▁Berg sson ▁in ▁his ▁Le i ð ar v ís ir ▁og ▁b org ar skip an . ▁ ▁From ▁around ▁the ▁late ▁th ir teenth ▁century , ▁a ▁fant ast ical ▁version ▁of ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁world ▁is ▁prominent ▁in ▁medieval ▁I cel and ic ▁rom ance , ▁partly ▁inspired ▁by ▁Cont inental ▁narr atives ▁influenced ▁by ▁the ▁Cr us ades . ▁Although ▁this ▁image ▁generally ▁character ises ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁world ▁as ▁' he ath en ', ▁and ▁repe ats ▁the