Jarya
Jarya, also called jawaris, was a term for a certain type of slave girl in the Islamic world. They were "slaves for pleasure" (muṭʿa, ladhdha) or “slave-girls for sexual intercourse” (jawārī al-waṭ), who had received special training in artistic skills. In contrast to the Qiyan, however, they did not perform for other men than the man in whose harem they were placed.
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History
They were acquired from the slave market or captured as war booty. The term were applied to such slave girls who, by instruction or self education, acquired a great knowledge of artistic skills and intellectual knowledge by which they could entertain a man, rather than by sexuality and physical beauty. They could study issues from music and poetry to religion, history and literature, and many were known to be able to entertain their owners by both intellectual abilities as well as musical abilities. There were many examples of jaryas with good education who managed to gain influence over male rulers.
The jaraya category of sexual harem slaves were described by the 9th-century writer Al-Jahiz, who accused them of exerting a destructive influence over their owners created by their artistic skills, which created a web of dependent feelings such as love (hub), passion (hawa) affinity (mushakala) and a wish for continued companionship (ilf).[1]
Examples
There were many famous jaryas noted in Islamic literature and history, such as Al-Khayzuran, Alam al-Malika and Hababah (slave).[2]
References
- Albrecht Classen:Pleasure and Leisure in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age
- Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-579868-5.