Muslim Slave System in Medieval India c16.26

c16.26

Muhammad bin Tughlaq became notorious for enslaving women and his reputation in this regard spread far and wide. Ibn Battuta who visited India during his reign and stayed at the Court for a long time writes: At (one) time there arrived in Delhi some female infidel captives, ten of whom the Vazir sent to me. I gave one of them to the man who had brought them to me My companion took three girls, and - I do not know what happened to the rest.⁴⁴ On the large scale distribution of girl slaves on the occasion of Muslim festivals like Id, he writes: First of all, daughters of Kafir (Hindu) Rajas captured during the course of the year, come and sing and dance. Thereafter they are bestowed upon Amirs and important foreigners. After this daughters of other Kafirs dance and sing The Sultan gives them to his brothers, relatives, sons of Maliks etc. On the second day the *durbar* is held in a similar fashion after Asr. Female singers are brought out the Sultan distributes them among the Mameluke Amirs⁴⁵ Thousands of non-Muslim women were distributed in the above manner in later years.⁴⁶