Ghulams.

Submitted by Reynald de Chatillon (United States), Aug 22, 2018 at 02:04

Fascinating article about a uniquely Muslim practice. I'm aware that Zanj were recruited from the coast of East Africa. However, I'm not sure where the Aghlabids and the Umayyads of Al-Andalus recruited their black slave soldiers from. Was it from west Africa or the Sudan? The Umayyad Emir Al-Hakam I had a bodyguard of 5000 which was known as the al-Khurs (the mutes), since none of them could speak Arabic. Were these all black Africans?

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