Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Chains of the Desert: The Arab Slave Trade Unveiled: A Millennium of Forced Journeys, Suffering, and Resilience Across Africa and the Arab World

Chains of the Desert: The Arab Slave Trade Unveiled: A Millennium of Forced Journeys, Suffering, and Resilience Across Africa and the Arab World

Morissen, Matt

Paperback

African History

ISBN13: 9798196727665
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: May 13 2026
Pages: 332
Weight: 1.27
Height: 0.69 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
Chains of the Desert: The Arab Slave Trade Unveiled by Matt Morissen (2026) offers a comprehensive exploration of the millennium-long history of the Arab slave trade. It aims to illuminate a historical chapter often overshadowed by the transatlantic trade, focusing on its immense scale, human suffering, and enduring legacy across Africa and the Arab world.
  • Origins and Geography: The trade began in antiquity, well before the rise of Islam, utilizing existing trans-Saharan caravan routes and Indian Ocean maritime networks. The Sahara's harsh topography and the Indian Ocean's monsoon cycles were active agents that dictated the rhythm and brutality of these journeys.
  • Mechanisms of Enslavement: Enslavement was driven by violent raids, inter-tribal conflicts, and strategic entrapment. Mobile raiding parties targeted entire communities, leading to grueling forced marches across deserts and overcrowded voyages on maritime dhows.
  • Socio-Political Landscape: The trade was deeply embedded in the economic and political structures of early Islamic caliphates and African empires like Ghana and Mali. It involved a complex web of actors, including Arab merchants, local African rulers who participated for profit, and tribal intermediaries like the Berbers and Tuaregs.
  • Roles and Experiences: Enslaved individuals-men, women, and children-filled diverse roles as domestic servants, concubines, agricultural laborers, and soldiers in major urban centers like Baghdad, Cairo, and Zanzibar.
  • Legal and Religious Context: Islamic law (Sharia) provided a framework for managing slavery, introducing rules for treatment and manumission while often justifying the enslavement of non-Muslims.
  • Legacy and Resilience: Chains of the Desert emphasizes that while the trade was a system of profound dehumanization, it was also marked by human resilience and resistance, most notably the Zanj Uprising. Its legacy continues to influence social hierarchies and identity politics today.

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