Afro-Iraqis are

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i people of African

Zanj Zanj (, adj. , ''Zanjī''; from ) is a term used by medieval Muslim geographers to refer to both a certain portion of Southeast Africa (primarily the Swahili Coast) and to its Bantu inhabitants. It has also been used to refer to Africans col ...

heritage. Historically, their population has concentrated in the southern port city of

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

, as Basra was the capital of the slave trade in Iraq. Afro-Iraqis speak

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and mostly adhere to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. Some Afro-Iraqis can still speak

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

along with Arabic. Afro-Iraqi leaders claim that there are roughly between 500,000 and 1,500,000 Afro-Iraqis, however this is not verified by official figures. Their origins date back to the time of the

Arab slave trade The Arab slave trade refers to various periods in which a slave trade has been carried out under the auspices of Arab peoples or Arab countries. The Arab slave trades are often associated or connected to the history of slavery in the Muslim world ...

and

slavery in Iraq Slavery existed in the territory of the modern state of Iraq until the 1920s. When the area later to become the modern state of Iraq was a center of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258), the area was a major History of slavery, slave trade d ...

between the 9th century AD to the 19th century AD. Many are from the district of Zubair, descendants of the people who came to Iraq from East Africa. Some came as sailors, whereas others came as traders, immigrants, religious scholars, or enslaved people over the course of many centuries, beginning in the 9th century CE.

Mythical origin

Arab myths agree that the

Cushitic The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa, with minorities speaking Cushitic languages to the north in Egypt and Sudan, and to the south in Kenya and Tanzania. As of 2 ...

king

Nimrod Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...

crossed from beyond the waters of East Africa in the earliest times with an army, and established a civilization. Many existing sites in Iraq are still named after Nimrod. The Quran does not mention

by name, but Arab stories about Nimrod have resulted in him being referenced as a tyrant in Muslim cultures.

Jewish tradition "Unprintworthy" redirects are redirect pages on Wikipedia that aid online navigation, but would have little or no value as pointers to target articles in a hard-copy book. The name of a redirect may be unprintworthy for a number of reasons, incl ...

recounts the tale of King Nimrod as well. It is stated in the book of Genesis that Nimrod was a mighty hunter of great renown and the first to build cities over the face of the world. He ruled in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

, which includes modern-day Iraq. Because of the legendary Nimrod's Cushitic origin (often identified with the historical

Kingdom of Kush The Kingdom of Kush (; Egyptian language, Egyptian: 𓎡𓄿𓈙𓈉 ''kꜣš'', Akkadian language, Assyrian: ''Kûsi'', in LXX Χους or Αἰθιοπία; ''Ecōš''; ''Kūš''), also known as the Kushite Empire, or simply Kush, was an an ...

in what is today southern Egypt and northern Sudan), many believe that Afro-Iraqis now living in areas are his literal descendents. This is unlikely to be literally true for all Afro-Iraqi citizens, as their presence in Iraq dates back only to the 9th century CE, whereas the Kingdom of Kush ended in the 6th century CE.

History and origin

However Black Iraqis are the descendants of East African coastal Bantu peoples, likely the

Swahili people The Swahili people (, وَسوَحِيلِ) comprise mainly Bantu, Afro-Arab, and Comorian ethnic groups inhabiting the Swahili coast, an area encompassing the East African coast across southern Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and northern Mozambi ...

, who were enslaved and brought to Iraq in the 9th century during the

slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate Chattel slavery was a major part of society, culture and economy in the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258) of the Islamic Golden Age, which during its history included most of the Middle East. While slavery was an important part also of the pr ...

to work on agricultural fields or as laborers. Although some African migrants came to Iraq as sailors and laborers the majority were brought as slaves in the 9th century. Chattel slavery continued for a thousands years, and African slaves were still trafficked to

Ottoman Iraq Ottoman Iraq () refers to the period of the history of Mesopotamia, Iraq when the region was ruled by the Ottoman Empire (1534–1920; with an interlude from 1704 to 1831 From Independence under the Mamluk dynasty (Iraq), Mamluk state of Iraq).Bef ...

in the 19th-century, being a part of

slavery in the Ottoman Empire Chattel slavery was a major institution and a significant part of the Ottoman Empire's economy and traditional society. The main sources of slaves were wars and politically organized enslavement expeditions in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, S ...

. Officially, the import of slaves via the

Indian Ocean slave trade The Indian Ocean slave trade, sometimes known as the East African slave trade, involved the capture and transportation of predominately sub-Saharan African slaves along the coasts, such as the Swahili Coast and the Horn of Africa, and through ...

of the Persian Gulf was prohibited by the Suppression of the slave trade in the Persian Gulf in January 1847. This was however a nominal prohibition, and the slave trade continued.

Slavery in Iraq Slavery existed in the territory of the modern state of Iraq until the 1920s. When the area later to become the modern state of Iraq was a center of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258), the area was a major History of slavery, slave trade d ...

was formally banned in 1924, by royal decree issued by king

Faisal I of Iraq Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi (, ''Fayṣal al-Awwal bin Ḥusayn bin ʻAlī al-Hāshimī''; 20 May 1885 – 8 September 1933) was King of Iraq from 23 August 1921 until his death in 1933. A member of the Hashemites, Hashemite family, ...

Social condition

The Arab Muslim institution of slavery allowed enslaved people to own land, and enslavement was not generally hereditary. Conversion to

sometimes enabled enslaved people to escape their condition. Skin color played a distinctive role even amongst slaves, however, and discrimination based on skin colour existed, and continues to be a problem in Iraqi society. Today, many Afro-Iraqis activists report that they are denied job opportunities on the basis of their skin colour and ethnic background. Afro-Iraqis are well known as

street musicians Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

, as they historically experienced employment discrimination. Afro-Iraqis are also frequently called "

Abeed Abeed or abīd (, plural of ʿabd, ) is an Arabic word meaning "servant" or "slave". The term is usually used in the Arab world and is used as a slur for slaves, which dates back to the Arab slave trade. In recent decades, usage of the word has be ...

", a pejorative meaning "slave" in

Heritage

Most Afro-Iraqis still are able to maintain rituals related to healing that are of Zanj origin. The languages used in these rituals are

and

. Percussion instruments such as drums and tambourines are used in these ceremonies. Songs such as ''Dawa Dawa'' are in a syncretic mixture of Arabic and Swahili. The song, which is about curing people of illness, is used in the ''shtanga'' ceremony, for physical health. Another ceremony, called ''nouba'', takes its name from the Arabic word for ''paroxysm'' or ''shift'', as Sophi performers take turns at chanting and dancing to ritualistic hymns. There are also unique ceremonies to remember the dead and for occasions such as weddings. Although the vast majority of Afro-Iraqis are Muslim, a shrinking minority still practices these

traditions A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common exa ...

. Few Afro-Iraqis can still speak

Notable Afro-Iraqis

Randa Abd Al-Aziz Randa Abd Al-Aziz (Arabic: رندا عبد العزيز; born c. 1996) is an Iraq, Iraqi journalist and news anchor. She is the first African-Iraqis, Afro-Iraqi to feature on the country's state media channels, and since September 2021 has co-host ...

– Iraqi journalist and news anchor. *

Abbas Al Harbi Abbas may refer to: People * Abbas (name), list of people with the name, including: **Abbas ibn Ali (645–680), popularly known as ''Hazrat-e-Abbas'', the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib (the first imam in Shia Islam) **Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (567 ...

– Australian

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

Ola Bayad - a play in Arabic entitled Fear and Shame 2022
Al-Nujoom magazine. Retrieved 1 October 2023.

References

A Legacy Hidden in Plain Sight
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External links

The hidden Black Iraq
{{African diaspora Ethnic groups in Iraq African diaspora in the Middle East