Ethiopian Slave Exports at Matamma, Massawa and Tajura c. 1830 to 1885 1

Ethiopian slaves under the name Habash (Abyssinian or Ethiopian) had a high demand in the markets of Arabia and the Middle East in the second half of the nineteenth century. Male slaves from Ethiopia served as bodyguards, servants and treasurers to rulers, Sheikhs and rich merchants of Arabia. The demand for female Ethiopian slaves who were bright-yellow or dark-brown was even higher, as the well-to-do made them wives and concubines. ²