Fatima.Mernessi_The-Forgotten-Queens-of-Islam-EN

Khayzuran: Courtesan or Head of State? 59
favour of al-Mahdi, Khayzuran took courses infiqh from one of the
most famous qadis of the time. And finally, sexual techniques and
sensual refinements were another area that the jawari developed,
each one drawing on the secrets of her own culture. By comparison,
aristocratic Arab women lost out, especially in the last area,
inhibited as they were by the rigid moral code that the governing
class applied to their women, and which was not at all imposed on
the/flvvflri. As the number of masters increased, the jawari deepened
their knowledge of male pleasure and its whims. 28
Soon each region of the world became known for the specific
qualities of its women. The women of the West were the principal
winners: 'He who wants ajarya for pleasure should choose a Berber;
he who wants a reliable woman to look after his possessions should
take a Roman. For the man who wants ajarya to bear him children,
the best choice is a Persian. If he wants a jarya to suckle a child,
he should choose a Prankish woman. And for singing, a woman of
Mecca cannot be equalled.' These are the counsels of Ibn Batalan,
an eleventh-century Christian doctor, famous in Baghdad for his
expertise, who became even better known when he wrote a treatise
on the purchase of slaves, Risala fi shari al-raqiq. 29 The tract is
fascinating, because it gives tips for thwarting the tricks of the
pedlars who put makeup on sick slaves to give them the bloom of
health and provided cosmetics for changing hair and skin colour
according to prevailing fashion:
The nakhkhasin [slave traders] can change the colour of the skin.
They can transform the dark-skinned woman by giving her skin a
golden hue .... They can give a blush to pale cheeks .... The same
for hair: they can make blond hair raven black .... They can put a
curl in straight hair .... They can lengthen hair by adding on a false
piece .... They can make tattoos disappear, as well as smallpox
marks, freckles, or black spots. 30
Some of these tricks can still be used.
Ibn Batalan had more advice. One should absolutely beware of
those with wide eyes - they are lazy or voluptuous. Those with
deep-set eyes are envious. Blue eyes denote stupidity, and the
woman who blinks all the time is malice personified. But if you
have business with a person in whose eyes the black part is larger
than the white, you should pick up your feet and run - that person
is mad. Too fine hair is a sign of foolishness, and thick, wiry hair
denotes courage. According to Ibn Batalan, trying to communicate