The Untold Story of Millions of African Slaves in the Arab Trade

Most discussions about slavery focus on the transatlantic trade, but few address the trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean routes. Over 20 million Africans were forced into Arab markets, enduring brutal treatment. Young boys were often castrated, with two out of every three not surviving the procedure. This violence decimated black populations in parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Meanwhile, many African women were taken as sexual servants. Despite the scale of this trade—estimates suggest around 26 million people—the legacy of African communities in the Arab world remains little known. Today’s reports of discrimination and human rights abuses echo that grim history.

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