What metaphors are used in Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan by Michael Crichton?

Two cultures one might never suspect to intermingle, particularly in the year 922 A.D., are the Arabs and the Northmen. These two cultures seem worlds apart from one another yet work on a metaphorical level. One pictures arid, deserts when thinking of the Middle East and this picture does not coincide with the cold, misty landscape of Scandinavia. Besides the disparity in climates, the social cultures of each area do not easily lend themselves to cross pollination. The reader pictures the Arabs as a more socially advanced culture complete with tradesmen, intellectuals, and "modern" conveniences. At the other end of the spectrum stands the Northmen or Viking culture. Vikings are typically regarded as savage pillagers not given to refined ways. However, Ibn Fadlan's account of his time in Buliwyf's company illustrates how these opposite cultures can co-exist and even exhibit some similarities.