Coll 34/3 'Slavery and Slave Trade: Red Sea and Arabia: Attitude of Ibn Saud' [‎33v] (71/886)

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Occupations. Al , abia is a l m0 st exclusively of the type generally
known ''household." as opposed to ^^Snotabh
iHt t0 TSUast P and Oman, and it rs.probable that it is practrsed to some
extent in ^ ^a purposes : to perform menial
^b. xioubeiiuiu rnnnev for their master by plying a trade or
and domestic semce^a e is more usual; in the towns a large proportion of
occupation. Ihe ±01 P P f , household servants are slaves, while m the
st Ar, ™ s f. h e .-hi»d - ,h. P h„d. c™i-dri,.„ T a
fSieultuiS. labourers; many dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. -masters have slave-crews To make money for
owners slaves are sent out as water-carriers, porters shop-boys, and fisher-
their owneis slaves skilled occupation. The table of occupations
men, while some are taught a more skilled occupy , fh divei f sitv of
in eluded in the manumission analysis (Appendix I) fairly rehects me aiveism oi
occupations and the predominance of purely domestic pursuits amongst slaves,
occupations P are excl u S iy e ly used for harem service and for con
cubinage a few usually West Africans, are sent out to work, either as water-
sellers who parade the street balancing a petrol-tin full of water on their heads,
or eis^as washerwomen pC 00 ks,&c^ ^ ^ ^ ^ posgible p ins i de
and outside his palace; he is said never to use eunuchs, but to use male slaves foi
certain domestic duties, even in the harem, so sure of them—and of the haiem
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Number of Slaves in Saudi Arabia.
29. Ibn Saud, asked by Mr. Philby his opinion about a year ago as to the
number of slaves in his dominions, estimated it at between 25,000 and 40 000, the
latter being an upper limit. Four independent persons associated with the tramc
of slaves in Mecca, and therefore to a certain extent competent to judge, have
agreed on 40,000, divided as follows :
Mecca
Jedda
Eabigh ... ... ••• ••• . •••
Wejh, Yanbu, other North Hejaz ports, Taif and
Medina ...
Qunfida, Birk, Jizan and other Asiri ports
Amongst Hejazi Bedouin
Amongst Nejdi Bedouin
3,000
1,000
500
500
10,000
5,000
20,000
40,000
Amongst the Bedouin paid servants are almost unknown and slaves fill all menial
positions. Medina, formerly a great centre for slaves, has suffered so severely
from poverty and depopulation lately that its holding of slaves is now negligible;
Taif was denuded of slaves by Ibn Saud when he sacked it in 1924. The number
in Jedda remains relatively small, through the uncertainty of tenure imbued m
the minds of owners by the presence of the Legation and its right of manumission.
On the other hand, South Hejaz and Asiri ports, being places at which most
batches from Africa were formerly disembarked, contain a disproportionately
large number.
30. These figures must be accepted with the greatest reserve, particularly
that relating to Nejd, for statistics are unknown in this country and Arab powers
of accurate observation are notoriously weak. Computation is also rendered more
difficult by the number of ex-slaves who, after being freed by their masters,
continue to live with them in a state indistinguishable from slavery and by the
, complete seclusion of women. Nevertheless, the figures show sufficiently clearly
f that European press allegations of widespread slavery in this country are much
3 exaggerated.
31. The number of slaves, which has been diminishing for many years, has
tended to decrease still further during the last two or three years, because few
slaves are being imported from outside and the number of children born in slavery
is insufficient to compensate for the considerable number of slaves dying or being