In the medieval Islamic world (particularly from the 10th to 12th centuries), several erotic compendia (sex manuals) and slave-purchase manuals were written. These texts advised buyers on selecting, inspecting, and using female slaves, who were legally available for sexual relations under Islamic law (as concubines).
One scholarly study on this topic is the paper: “Slaves for Pleasure in Arabic Sex and Slave Purchase Manuals from the Tenth to the Twelfth Centuries” by Pernilla Myrne (Journal of Global Slavery, 2019).
Excerpts from these historical manuals:
Ethnic and Racial Preferences for Female Slaves Jābir ibn Ḥayyān is quoted as saying: “Byzantines have cleaner vaginas than other female slaves. Andalusians […] are the most beautiful, sweet-smelling and receptive to learning […]. Andalusians and Byzantines have the cleanest vaginas, whereas Alans (Lāniyyāt) and Turks have unclean vaginas and get pregnant easier. They have also the worst dispositions. Sindhis, Indians, and Slavs (Ṣaqāliba) and those similar to them are the most condemned. They have uglier faces, fouler odor, and are more spiteful. Besides, they are unintelligent and difficult to control, and have unclean vaginas. East Africans (Zanj) are the most heedless and coarse. If one finds a beautiful, sound and graceful woman among them, however, no other species can match her. Women from Mecca (Makkiyāt) are the most beautiful and pleasurable of all types.”
Slave Breeding Practices In Kufa, there was a renowned “excellent brood” produced from male slaves from Khurasan and female slaves from India. Their offspring had a delicate brown complexion and beautiful stature. This practice continued for a long time, leading many people to prefer slaves from Kufa over those from Basra. However, the most expensive and distinguished slave women were still considered to come from Basra.
This is supported by a statement attributed to the famous author al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 868–869): Abū al-ʿAbbās asked: “Do you know which of all species is the most favorable for privacy with women?” He continued: “Know that there is abundant happiness and complete pleasure only in the brood of two dissimilar kinds. The breeding between them is the elixir that leads to purity. Specifically, that is the mating of an Indian woman with a Khurasanian man; they will give birth to pure gold.”
Physical Modifications and Return Policies Some groups of Turks cauterized (burned) the breasts of slave-girls to prevent sagging, but this often caused them to droop more. Others cauterized the tops of their heads, their vulvas, or their bellies. Islamic law allowed the buyer to return a slave-girl even after having sexual intercourse with her, if a hidden defect (such as a burn mark) was later discovered, provided she was not a virgin and the buyer had no prior knowledge of the defect.
Examples include:
- A merchant who returned a Turkish slave-girl after discovering a small mark (the size of a lupine bean) on her genital area.
- Another man who returned a beautiful Turkish slave-girl after noticing an inward-growing eyelash that caused her eye to tear.
Inspection Process at Slave Markets The inspection of slaves followed detailed recommendations found in manuals such as that of Ibn al-Akfānī. The process typically began with a general survey from a distance (based on physiognomy), followed by a closer examination that included public viewing and touching of the slave’s naked body.
Buyers were advised to inspect “shame zones” (genital areas), despite the market inspector’s (muḥtasib) responsibility to prevent public indecency. If a slave resisted the humiliating public inspection, they were often beaten until they complied.
A European observer, Felix Fabri, described similar thorough inspections at the slave market in Alexandria in the 15th century.
These manuals reflect the commodification of enslaved women, who were frequently captured in wars, raids, or through trade, and used primarily for sexual pleasure, domestic service, or breeding in the medieval Islamic world.
Source Note: The excerpts above are drawn from Arabic erotic and slave-purchase literature (such as Jawāmiʿ al-Ladhdha and others), as analyzed in Pernilla Myrne’s academic paper. Similar practices and attitudes appear in other historical Islamic legal and medical texts from the period.
