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Kai Ka�us b. Iskander : Nasihat-Nama known as Qabus-Nama (1083)
(A mirror for princes)
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Taken from: Minoo Southgate: The negative Images of Blacks In some Medieval Iranian Writings. In : Iranian studies 1984
He has a chapter called: The Purchase of slaves:
The author completely accepts slavery and treats slaves as any other commodity, warning the potential buyer, however, that purchasing slaves is more difficult than buying any other merchandise, for human beings can not be known except by the science of physiognomy and by experience� The three essentials in the purchase are: the recognition of their good and bad qualities�. The awareness of diseases� by their symptoms, and the knowledge of various classes and defects and merits of each. The author shows on the basis of physiognomy and the ethnic background of slaves which are suited for private service and conviviality or for arms bearing or for employment in the women�s apartments, or for domestic service and cookery or to act as treasurer or for any other (such) employment or to play musical instruments or to be a herdsman or groom. The black eunuch recommended to serve in the women�s apartment must be dark skinned and sour visaged and have withered limbs, scanty hair, a shrill voice, little (slender) feet, thick lips, a flat nose, stubby fingers, a bowed figure and a thin neck�. The author does not recommend blacks even for kitchen service, arms bearing might be black or white, all others recommendations are for whites.
