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January 28, 2025

Rediscovering the history of African slavery in Iran/ The scent of victory

The likelihood of prevalence of certain traditions.

This is a caption for the image.
Translation: Translation of the scent of Muzaffarian.

There is no doubt that female genital mutilation is an official tradition in Africa, and if today it is seen in all parts of the world, it is due to the migration of African cultures or groups of people to different regions. This tradition also exists in certain areas of Iran, and for more information, one can refer to the campaign website “Step by Step to Stop Female Genital Mutilation in Iran”. In an article titled “Historical Roots of Female Genital Mutilation”, with a focus on myths and stories rooted in African culture, it is mentioned that this tradition originated from Africa (1). In another article titled “Female Circumcision among Shia Communities in Pakistan and India”, it is stated that “it seems that this tradition spread with the wave of migration from Africa to South India and Pakistan. Some researchers also believe that along with migration, slaves were brought to this region in the 19th and 20th centuries. The religious leaders of the Bohra community (

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان است که در طول سفر من به ایران گرفته شده است.”

This picture is a beautiful landscape of a mountain that was taken during my trip to Iran.Behnaz-Mirzaei
Behnaz Mirzaei

Behnaz Mirzaei, an Iranian-Canadian researcher, has been studying African immigrants to Iran and uncovering a part of the history of immigration to Iran for the past twenty years. This topic had received less attention until the late 1990s and the beginning of Mirzaei’s research, and it is still unknown to many. Mirzaei received her Master’s degree in Iranian and Islamic history from the Islamic Azad University in Tehran and immigrated to Canada in 1997. When she started her graduate studies at York University in Toronto the following year, her meeting with history professor Paul Lovejoy led her down a path of discovering a dark point in Iran’s history. Mirzaei has said, “Throughout my entire life in Iran, I had never heard anything about slavery.” She is now an assistant professor of Middle Eastern history at Brock University in Canada.

Discovery of Slavery in Iran

Mirzaei: “I never had any information about slavery in Iran because it was not a topic that people talked about or had knowledge about.” After consulting with reputable professors in Iran, Mirzaei realized that the history of African slavery in Iran exists and archived documents prove it.

Mirzaei: “Slavery in the history of Iran is not consistent… In terms of general knowledge and even the perspective of academics, slavery in Iran has been very limited or even non-existent, and no article or book has been written about it (3). This was a new topic.”

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان های سرسبز است.”

“This photo is a beautiful view of the lush mountains.”Africa-Iran1
African-Iranians consider themselves Iranian and sometimes get upset when asked about their African roots – Photo of Middle East Eye.

The history of trade between modern Iran and African countries dates back to hundreds of years ago. However, slavery in Iran is divided into two main periods: the Qajar dynasty (1795-1925) and the early Pahlavi era (1925 onwards) (presumably, the author is referring to the documented history of slavery in Africa).

Mirzaei, who has conducted extensive research on modern slavery in Iran, explains that Arab traders under the rule of the Sultanate of Oman brought slaves from northern and northeastern parts of Africa, such as Tanzania (Zanzibar), Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, to Iran. (It should be noted that the practice of female genital mutilation is prevalent in these countries and has the highest rates in Somalia with 98%, Ethiopia with 74%, and Kenya with 27% on the UNICEF list of countries that practice FGM).

In ancient Islamic literature, Ethiopia and Abyssinia have been referenced. “Many slaves, upon entering Iran, chose the last name Habashi for themselves to indicate their Ethiopian descent. Similarly, Zangbari slaves may have also chosen this name for themselves.”

Mirzaei adds that to a great extent, in the southern coast of Iran, slaves were mostly employed in fishing and farming, as servants and home nurses, or even as soldiers in the army.

Africans were not the only ones who were employed as slaves in Iran. “Slavery in Iran was not based on race and was not only focused on African countries. Circassians and Georgians were also among the slaves. Many of the slaves who were in extreme poverty worked alongside Iranian farmers.

The abolition of slavery in 1828 began with the end of trade with Georgians and Circassians and its implementation reached its peak about a century later.

Confronting a taboo

Laujoi explained that the research idea on the investigation of African slavery in Iran and the Middle East was born by the Nigerian Hinterland Project and its expenses will be covered by the Canadian government, as the government is focused on the displacement of Nigerians and neighboring countries through slavery.

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان است که در طبیعت آرام و آرام قرار گرفته است.”

“This photo is a beautiful landscape of a mountain that is nestled in peaceful nature.”SADEGHSA2-10
An image of the prince, children of officials, and servants at the court of Naser al-Din Shah during the Qajar dynasty; at that time, black children were known as “khanezadegan” (princelings).

HP (Hewlett-Packard) began its activities in 1994 based on UNESCO’s Slave Route initiative to better understand the global causes and impact of slavery.

According to Lavoye, at the time when Mirzaei began his studies, there was very little information about slavery in the Arab and Muslim society. Studies on Africa and the refugees of this region are still being pursued at York University through the Harriet Tubman Institute.

Lavoji adds that: “Most people are not aware that slavery was common in Islamic countries, or they have the misconception that the practice of slavery was very different from what was happening in America. Or this topic is so taboo that no one talks about it. Research on the history of slavery in the world is very important because there is now more capacity to understand. People do not want to talk about the dark events of the past. It is understandable in many ways. But as long as racism continues, we must face it and stop it. The only way to stop it is to not ignore the past, but to understand why it happened and therefore there is no reason to continue stereotypes and myths. We must insist on speaking the truth, even if it is not always pleasant. Honesty and courage are part of the truth.”

Unknown date

Mirzaei estimates that nowadays, for about 10 to 15 percent of the population living in southern Iran, an African origin can be considered, and as we move towards the north, this percentage decreases. Most members of the African-Iranian community have no knowledge of their family roots. Mirzaei says, “They have no awareness of the past, history has been lost. African-Iranians are often known as southern black people, and many Iranians believe that the darkness of their skin is due to the oppressive heat of the southern coasts. People attribute this to the weather conditions and think that the darkness of their skin is due to the extremely intense heat of the southern part of Iran.”

John Tibbetts Willis, a professor of African history at Carleton College in America, believes that the history of African societies in other Persian Gulf countries is still largely unknown.

Black pearl hunter

When Willis saw a photo of a black pearl diver at the Dubai Museum, he was drawn to a new subject. He told the Middle East Eye reporter, “I was horrified; I looked around me in the museum, and there was nothing representing black people.”

This is a caption for the image[/caption]

This is a caption for the image.Africa-Iran3
A part of the mourning ceremony in Khorramshahr in 2011 – Photo of the Middle East Eye.

After researching in this area, he discovered that African workers were brought to the Gulf region as slaves for the purpose of pearl diving and meeting the demands of that era. He said, “Many of the mission documents of British agents in Muscat, Sharjah, and Bahrain show that many people were enslaved to do this work in the early 20th century. In some of these Middle Eastern countries and Gulf regions, having a history of slavery is considered shameful, so people prefer to hide this history.”

Willis states that as a foreigner, he does not have the duty to pressure the communities living in the Gulf to confront the issue of slavery.

Contemporary Iranian-African descendants

Mirzaei continues that African-Iranians consider themselves Iranian and are upset when asked about their African roots. “I have asked them before, what do you think about yourselves? And they respond that we are Iranian. If any question related to their African roots is asked, they consider it an insult and interpret it as the questioner insisting that they are not Iranian.”

In a film produced by Mirzaei, the life of African-Iranian descendants is portrayed through a man named Mohammad Dourzadeh. He explains that his family has been living in this land since his grandfather’s time. When asked about his ancestors’ roots, he responds, “They were here.” A reflection of ignorance! This man sees himself beyond belonging to a society of servants and slaves, and believes that slaves were owned, but families like Dourzadeh’s are free.

Lack of familiarity of Iranians from other regions with African-Iranians leads to the question of where these individuals come from and whether they are perceived as foreigners. While it may be uncommon, Mirzaei has documented several marriages between African-Iranians and Iranians. Bita Baghouli-Zadeh, a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania, writes: “Based on the location where African-Iranians are settled, their levels of success vary. For example, African-Iranians in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan have been separated from other communities and have continued the strict caste system, which provided less opportunity for social mobility.”

“این عکس یک منظره زیبا از کوهستان است که در آن آسمان آبی و ابرهای سفید پر از نور قرار دارند.”

“This picture is a beautiful landscape of a mountain where the blue sky and white clouds filled with light are present.”Africa-Iran4
A picture of women and children in Balochistan between the years 2006 to 2011 – Photo from Middle East Eye.

At the same time, Mirzaei said, “African-Iranian descendants are widely scattered in the areas where they live. For example, these communities speak the local language (Balochi) in Sistan and Baluchestan province, while African-Iranian descendants in Hormozgan speak a dialect.”

The African-Iranian community today is a mixture of African traditions and Iranian culture. Among these, the well-known ritual of exorcism called “Zar” can be mentioned, which is based on the belief of cleansing the body from demonic spirits. This ritual is still practiced in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

“It was not important for me to tell them whether they were Iranian or foreign, as they have become integrated and are Iranian. What matters is how they became Iranian and how we can show another aspect of Iran, as there is a great diversity of ethnicities in Iran. They have their own unique culture and identity.”

This article is a translation of Ms. Jillian Demors’ writing (titled ‘We are Iranians’: Rediscovering the history of African slavery in Iran) published on May 9, 2016 on the website Middle East Eye.

Translator’s notes:

For more information, see: Mozaffarian, Fragrance: The Incomplete Historical Roots of Women’s Sexual Dysfunction, Tavana website.

2- For more information, see: Mozaffarian, Raieheh and Hanayi, Samira. “Female Circumcision among Shia Muslims in Pakistan and India,” Step by Step Website for Stopping Female Genital Mutilation in Iran, January 11, 2011.

3- Recently, a book titled “Special Slaves” has been published by the Center Publications, which generally refers to slavery during the Safavid era. The book also mentions several stories of kings’ interest in slaves in Persian literature.

4- Circassians are an ethnic group of the Caucasus region, with roots shared with Georgians, who reside in the Adygea Republic of Russia and Turkey. Circassians speak the Circassian language, which belongs to the Northwest Caucasian language group, and most of them are Sunni Muslims and followers of the Hanafi school of thought.

Created By: Rayeheh Mozafarian
July 24, 2016

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African Iranian African-Iranian descent Behnaz Mirzaei Female circumcision 2 Iranian African Magazine number 63 Monthly Peace Line Magazine Servitude The history of slavery in Iran. The scent of saffron. ماهنامه خط صلح