Jewels in a Sultan's Hareem

The Nile River, both the Blue and the White, that merges at Khartoum in the Sudan, flows south to north (direction is downhill) in a circuitous course between banks of narrow strips of fertile land with deserts on both sides, finally emptying into a wide Delta that flows into the Mediterranean Sea. As such, the Nile is a jewel of life to all who live along its banks in towns the likes of Thebes and Memphis of Egypt and Napata and Saleb of Nubia. Nubia was known for its wealth in gold, and its very name comes from the Egyptian word "nub" that means gold.

Nubians are a black race who are very creative and artistic. In the distant past their armies were strong under such rulers as Taharqa and Tanoutaman who defeated the Egyptians, and for a time Egypt was ruled by black Pharoahs.

Slave traders often came to both Egyptian and Nubian towns to buy or trade, but most likely steal, men and women, boys and girls, to sell on the black markets that were found in Greece and Turkey as well as other countries.

On one such raid two beautiful, two young girls of about eighteen years were carried off by raiders to be sold in the slave market of Athens, Greece, since it had a very thriving business in buying and selling slaves.

Often the stolen women were raped by the raiders, but it was an unbroken rule among slave traders that no virgin would be violated because she brought the highest price on the selling block, and the two lovelies they captured were just what they liked to get.

Once they had their money, the slave traders knew they could get all the sexual favors they wanted.

Having made their successful raid from Alexandria and Napata in Nubia, the slave traders took their captives quickly to reach their ships they had waiting for them at the harbor in Alexandria and set sail for Athens that is almost straight across the Mediterranean.

Their ships were small with shallow drafts, and many large rocks were used below in the hold for ballast. These ships had triangular, lateen sails that had a loose foot (bottom of the sail) attached to a long yard suspended from a short mast. This kind of rig allowed these ships to be sailed in all directions, including into the wind; although, this required tacking back and forth in a zig-zag course to the wind since a ship cannot sail beyond 45 degrees. This is a rough point of sail called "beating" into the wind. However, it does allow one to sail into the wind.

Once the slavers decided to go to Athens with their slaves, they set a course North/Northwest. Their home port was Izmir, Turkey, that was about due east of Athens. However, because they were known there, they thought it best to sell the slaves in Athens.

Each of the captives had her or his hands and feet loosely tied with a line secured to side rails that had been put on the ships for this purpose even though there was no place to go, but the slavers thought there just might be one or two who would jump overboard and drown rather than be sold into slavery.

It was a clear night with a fair wind blowing out of the east across their starboard (right) that put them on a beam reach, and the waves were about three foot swells, so the slavers were making good time.

Among those taken were two young gils of eighteen or nineteen years who huddled together in the bow of the ship where they felt every rise on the crest of the waves and fall into the waves' trough at the bottom. This up and down motion of the boat made them more than uncomfortable in their stomachs, and a few times they had to get up to throw up over the side.

However, after awhile they became somewhat used to the rhythm of the sea and were able to relax a little.

Every now and then each looked into the other's eyes and saw how forlorn she was.

Each felt so lost and alone and wondered what was going to happen to her, and with her wonder came fear.

In a weak, shaky voice the black girl who was as dark as ebony spoke softly in a whisper to the other near her so no one else could hear.

"Hello, my name is Yahminah. What's yours?"

Since the black girl spoke her native tongue as well as Egyptian but with a slight accent, the other girl understood what she had just asked.

"I'm Jaffa."

Yahminah was from Nubia, a country of ancient Africa that was southwest of Egypt. Her young skin was black as an ebon sky. Her eyes were very white with dark pupils. Her hair seemed short, but it was done in braids with each strand having colorful beads on it so that they hung down to mid-forehead. The sides and back braids reached just above her shoulders and covered her ears.

"You're very beautiful, Yahminah," said Jaffa. "I love your hair with all those colorful, beaded braids covering your head. They give you a regal look."

Yahminah smiled, and when she did, her brilliant white teeth added to her beauty.

"Thank you, Jaffa. I'm glad you like them."

Having another thought, she asked, "Where do you come from, Jaffa? You look Egyptian."

"Yes, I'm Egyptian," she confirmed Yahminah's observation.

My home is...was she sobbed...in Alexandria, where I was taken. Oh, how I miss my home and parents."

"Me, too. It happened so fast. I was standing alone outside our home when men came along and one grabbed me around my waist and took me away. I tried to scream, but the one who had me put his big, dirty hand over my mouth. Right now, I don't even know if my parents are aware that I'm missing since it was quite early when I was taken, and I often go for a long walk before our morning meal."

Tears welled up in Yahminah's's eyes and rolled down her cheeks, leaving two watery streaks on her velvty, black skin.

"How horrible for you, Yahminah. I was walking home from the great library in Alexandria when I was abducted," said Jaffa. "About the same thing happened to me as it had with you. Men grabbed me and hurried away down an alley to the harbor."

Yahminah and Jaffa were so involved with the sharing of their stories, they didn't hear one of the slavers walk up to them.

"Well, well, 'n' how are ma two lovelies?" he snarled as a dribble of spittal ran out of the side of his mouth.

Yahminah and Jaffa smelled the drink on him and his bad breath, and they were offended by it. He also slurred his speech when he talked.

Not knowing about the "honor among thieves agreement that virgins were not to be violated because it took away their value on the block, both Yahminah and Jaffa were afraid he had come to take one or both of them and deflower them even before they got to wherever they were heading. No one had told them they were going to Athens.

The slaver saw the fear in the girls' eyes, and even though he was drunk, he said, "Don't worry, my lovlies, I ain't goin' to do anythin' to ya. I jus' came over to see if yous were all right."

Yahminah and Jaffa said nothing. All they did was stare at his unshaven, ugly face.

"Well, 'r' ya?" he raised his voice so all could hear.

Almost in tears again, both girls asked, "Are we what?"

"Ar' ya all right?"

Jaffa and Yahminah shook their heads and quietly said, "Yes, we're all right."

Without a word, the slaver turned on his heels and walked away, leaving them alone once more to settle down for the night as best they could.

The night went by quickly, and as the sun rose in the east, illuminating the morning sky with pastel, yellow light, Yahminah and Jaffa were awakened by a shout.

"Ahoy! Land! Look up. Thare's Athens. Ain't she a most beautiful sight?" one of the crew called out.

He called out so loudly, all who were not already awake, opened their eyes from their groggy sleep, feeling stiff and sore from having been tied up throughout the trip, and looked out towards the city to which the crew member was pointing.

The slaver who had talked to them last night stood in the bow near Yahminah and Jaffa and raised his voice.

"In case ya want ta know. I'm Merka, an renegade Egyptian slaver. Ya now belong to me until ya are all sold on the selling block in the slave markit."

Leering down at Yahminah and Jaffa, "An' you two in particular. You'll fetch a good price. Virgins always do," he laughed, and his men laughed with him.

"But..." Jaffa began to ask.

"How are we to know you're virgins?" he smiled in fake wonderment.

"Why, that's easy. Before you're taken to the selling block, you'll have been taken into a tent and examined by a man of medicine. Athens is well known for their physicians. He will look inside your vaginas to make sure. Now, does that answer your fuckin' question?"

Startled by such foul language, neither Yahminah nor Jaffa answered. Besides, they were shocked knowing someone was going to look inside their female parts that no one had ever seen before let alone be touched except by themselves either when they bathed or masturbated when sexual urges required relief. Even then, neither Yahminah nor Jaffa had penetrated their vaginas, not even with their fingers, having found sexual pleasure and relief just by using their fingers on that sensitive spot at the top of their vulvas for which they had no name. This was enough for them.

The two ships sailed into the busy port of Piraeus where supplies were loaded onto ships that would take them to distant ports or supplies were hauled out and taken to Athens by slaves who had to carry their loads by hand or on their backs. This they often had to do more than once, walking up and down the mountainous road. All these goods were sold in the great market plaza. This also included the selling block for those who were sold to Athenians and foreigners who came to buy slaves for many reasons.

Port Piraeus was filled with the raucous sound of voices talking and groaning under the burden of their labors, and some Athenians had come early to the docks to haggle with the sellers over the price for their goods before they were taken up to the market plaza.

Merka, the slave trader, and his men didn't had to put up with this for long since they walked through the crowds, dragging their cargo of human flesh in single file behind them. Each slave was still tied with a rope around hers or his waist and joined to one another with ropes around their wrists. The ropes around their ankles had been removed so they could walk.

Jaffa and Yahminah were the first in line, the two being the most valuable to Merka and his men. As they walked through the crowds, many appreciative eyes looked at them and relished the thought that they would soon be displayed on the selling block. Even for those who knew they didn't have the money to buy, they, nevertheless, went to see the slaves, espcially the pretty ones like the two young ones in front.

It was a hot morning as the group walked up the road that led to the main part of Athens, the Acropolis, where the great Pantheon stood beautifully on the highest point of the hill which was, in truth, the top of a mountain that had wooded hills below that grew out towards the harbor. The vaulted roof and large, white columns of the Pantheon stood out in sharp relief to the clear, azure blue, Grecian sky.

The Temple of the Goddess Athena, the patron divinity of the city, also stood majestically in the Acropolis.

Athens was thought to be the most beautiful city ever built. It stood apart from all other great cities in Greece and throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean world.

The walk to Athens had been arduous, but Merka and the others finally entered the city and went straight for the market plaza where stalls had been set up for sellers who came with their wares to sell to those who came to buy. One could find just about anything in the market, including slaves such as Merka had brought.

Some came for field hands or staff workers around the house. Others came looking for those who had skills in carpentry or working with metal. One would be blessed by fate if she or he found an artisan who crafted fine jewelry in silver and gold.

Of course, there were those, both women and men, who came looking for females and males for sexual gratification. However, most importantly, there were those few Athenians who could afford the purchase price of a virgin that would allow her or him the honor of taking her virginity, something a woman can give only once in her lifetime. That was the reason virgins demanded such a high price.

Merka stopped in front of a large tented area identified for the slavers and said gruffly, "All right. Listen up. I want ya all to go into this tent and sit down. You'll wait until I have one of ma men take ya out one at a time to stand on the selling block, an' buyers will bid on ya according to their needs and desires and the depth of their purses. Do I make myself clear?" asked Merka.

Nothing was said. What could anyone say? What was about to happen was going to happen whether they liked it or not. It was fate. Merka himself knew nothing could be said. The future of these unfortunates lay in his hands and would soon lie in the hands of their buyers.

To take the edge off waiting, Merka sent one of his men to go buy some wine so they might at least refresh themselves.

Time passed through the morning ever so slowly. The slaves mumbled among themselves, and Yaminah and Jaffa whispered to one another, sharing their fears about what they thought was to befall them.

About mid-moring the flap of the tent opened, and a matronly woman and a balding, old man dressed in a white robe tied with a cincture who also had a white beard entered and walked over to Merka and whispered something no one else heard. It was just above a whisper. Merka put something into his hand which he quickly put inside a pocket inside his robe.

Yahminah and Jaffa hadn't heard what they said either, but Merka pointed to them, and the balding man and woman looked their way. The three then walked over to Yahminah and Jaffa and stopped.

Looking down at them, Merka said in his usual gruff, cold voice, "This is the physician Galen who will examin ya to prove your vaginity, and the woman with him is a mid-wife named Maia. He brought her along to assist him."

Without another word from Merka, the physician said to Jaffa and Yahminah, "You two come with me. We shall go behind another curtain so we can be alone and away from the eyes others. That should help you not to be too afraid during my pelvic exam to prove your virginity."

"Now stand up, and you, the black girl, come with me, and you," pointing to Jaffa," go with the mid-wife.

Reluctantly Yahminah and Jaffa did as the physician had told them, and the four of them went behind another curtain where there was a wide, long table.

Once inside, the physician told them to take off the little clothing they had on but made no reaction when he saw the two standing before him naked.

Looking pensive, the physician pointed to Yahminah and said, "You lie down on the right side of the table. If you need help, the mid-wife will assist you."

Trembling all over, Yahminah walked over to the table and lay down on it.

As Yahminah was getting up onto the right side of the table, Maia, the mid-wife, led Jaffa around to the left side of the table and helped her get up on it, telling her to lie down with her feet flat on the table and her legs spread wide.

At the same time, the physician came and stood at the bottom end of the table and said to Yahminah, "I want you to slide down on the table and bend your knees so that your feet are on the table, and then I want you to spread your legs as wide as you can."

Tears welled up in Yahminah's eyes and ran down the sides of her face as they were doing in Jaffa's eyes. Each was so ashamed of having her genitals so exposed with the physician and mid-wife looking directly at their vulvas. They were also afraid of what was about to happen to them.

With some impatience, the physician said to Yahminah, "Come, come, girl, I don't have all day, and I must do the other girl, too, after the mid-wife's initial look into her vagina."

Yahminah accepted her fate and spread her legs until the physician had a direct view of her genitals.

Galen's mouth salivated at the sight of Yahminah's black pussy. There was such a contrast between her very black skin and pubic hair and the pink of her small vaginal lips. Looking upward, he appreciated her black, hairy pussy and young, firm breasts, and it went without saying he was captivated by her beautiful face with those dark eyes, somewhat broad nose at the bottom, and her large, luscious lips, a delicacy no man or woman could resist tasting.

Galen was so taken with Yahminah, he felt his penis beginning to become erect, something that hadn't happened for some time due to his age. However, he had work to do and had to concentrate on it, and so he forgot about his probable hardon.

Since Yahminah was on the right side of the table, being examined by the physician, and Jaffa was on the left side of the table, being pre-examined by the mid-wife, their faces were right next to one another, so it was possible for them to look at each other as the pelvic examinations was being done. When the examinations began, Yahminah and Jaffa bent their arms and glasped one another's hands, squeezing softly.

Both Galen and Maia had done these kinds of examinations many times, so they were very knowledgeable about what to look for to prove a young woman was still a virgin. The hymen is a very thin mucous membrane that usually surrounds the vaginal opening in virgins. The hymen had to be intact and unbroken by whatever means, even if by self-love, if a young girl or woman could be identified as a virgin.

Galen bent forward between Yahminha's legs and put his fingers on her little lips and opened them wide enough to look deep inside her vagina. He had to be careful not to put his fingers inside Yahminah's vagina too far.

Galen was aroused by Yahminah's fragrance and distinct contrast between her black outer labia and the coral color inside her vagina. He opened her vagina wide enough so he saw the membrane intact as it needed to be in a virgin. Therefore, having concluded Yahminah was a virgin, he withdrew his fingertips, and her pussy lips closed on themselves, leaving a pinkish edge on them.

Galen couldn't resist temptation, so before he lifted his hands off Yahminah's pussy, he slid all his fingers between her thighs, over her clit, and through her dark, pubic hair. This, of course, startled Yahminah, but didn't excite her since her body was taught with fear.

As he stood up, he inserted his fingers inside his mouth and sucked on them.

"Well, this one is a virgin. No mistake about that," said the physician Galen. "What about the other one, Maia?"

Maia looked up from between Jaffa's parted legs and shook her head. "Yes, she's a virgin, too. Do you want to come over and look for yourself?"

"No. You know what you're doing," said Galen, "and Merka will be very happy to hear this and so will the lucky ones who are able to afford to buy them, together or separately. They should go for a very large bid I'd say."

Galen and Maia smiled at one another, and then Galen cleared his throat and said softly, "Maia, now that we've done our job, I think we should have some kind of reward in addition to the money Merka gave us. They really don't pay us enough for our skills and for what we do. I think we should have our pound of flesh. Don't you?" he smiled.

Maia smiled back at Galen and said, "You are right. We should have our sweet reward."

"Then let's begin before Merka thinks we're taking too much time," said Galen. "I want to have this black beauty. You take the other young beauty, and perhaps if we have the time, we can exchange."

Yahminah had no idea what the two were talking about as far as getting their reward, but it became all too clear when Galen and then Maia put the palms of their hands onto each girl's inner thighs and spread their legs even further apart than they had been. At the same time, and in one motion, each opened the vulvas of the girls with their frantic fingertips, exposing both their vaginas and urethras.