ABSTRACT
In contrast to the Persians, the Arabs call themselves black, or in general dark-coloured; the Persians are usually described as red, that is light-skinned (ahmar or fern, hamra). The Banul-Ahrar were called in Kufa: al-ahamira. Consequently this colour designation applies also to mawall: 'A man of the Taym Allah, reddish as if he were a mawla'J Red is here used of lighter colour in general. The same colour attribute is used also of other non-Arab races. In Spain the Arabs called the indigenous Christians: Banul-Hamra or al-H antra. Al-ahmar wal-aswad, 'red and black' means: 'Arabs and non-Arabs' that is the whole of mankind or the whole world without special consideration of races. The contrast is used also of animals and inanimate objects in order to express that the whole of a species is meant. One says for example humr al-manaya wa-suduha.
