الأفرو-سعوديون (Arabic) | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| about 3,600,000 or about 10% of Saudi Arabia’s total population | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Riyadh,Dammam,Jeddah,Mecca | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (mostlySunni) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Afro-Arabs,Afro-Jordanians,Afro-Palestinians,Afro-Syrians,Afro-Iraqis,Afro-Omanis |
Afro-Saudis, also known asBlack Saudis, are citizens ofSaudi Arabia who have ancestry from any of theBlack racial groups ofAfrica. They are spread all around the country, but they are mostly found in the major cities ofSaudi Arabia.[1] Afro-Saudis speakArabic and adhere toIslam.[2] While some black Saudis descend from slaves brought through theArab slave trade,[3] the majority descend from Muslimpilgrims, primarily fromWest Africa, who settled in the cities ofMecca andJeddah.[4]
The term "takarnah", meaning people oftakrur, is sometimes used to refer to Hejazis of West African descent,[5] though their origins are diverse. This is evident in family names such asHawsawi,Fallatah, andBernawi.[4]
Arabia andAfrica have been in contact starting with the obsidian exchange networks of the 7th millennium BC. These networks were strengthened by the rise of Egyptian dynasties of the 4th millennium BC. Anthropologists have indicated the likely existence of settlements in Arabia, from the people of theHorn of Africa, as early as the 3rd and 2nd millenniums BC.[6]
Many Afro-Saudis are descendants of slaves, trafficked mainly via the AncientRed Sea slave trade. Historically, the institution of slavery in the region of the later Saudi Arabia was reflected in the institution ofslavery in the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661)slavery in the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750),slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258),slavery in the Mamluk Sultanate (1258–1517) and finallyslavery in the Ottoman Empire (1517–1918).Slavery in Saudi Arabia was not abolished until 1962.
In 2025, their population was 3,600,000, or around 10% of Saudi Arabia's 35,000,000 population.[3][7]
Slaves in theMiddle East were allowed to own land. Children of two slaves were born into slavery, however the child of a free man and hisconcubine (sex slave) were not born a slave if the father acknowledged fatherhood. Islamic Law allowed for Muslims to enslave non-Muslims, unless they werezimmis (protected minorities who had accepted Muslim rule), and slaves were therefore non-Muslims imported from non-Muslim lands outside of the Empire.[8] However, the conversion of a non-Muslim slave to Islam after their enslavement did not require the enslaver to manumit his slave.[8]
Skin color played a distinctive role even amongst slaves.[9] Many activists amongst Afro-Saudis complain that they are not given media representation and are unable to find opportunities to improve their social condition.[10]
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| Secondary Afro-American diaspora |
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