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Jarya or jariya (SING; Arabic: جارية), also jawari (PLUR), was a term often used for female slaves in the medieval Islamic world.[2] In a courtly context, they could be "slaves for pleasure" (muṭʿa, ladhdha) or “slaves for sexual intercourse” (jawārī al-waṭ),[citation needed] who had received special training in artistic skills.[citation needed] In contrast to the Qiyan, however, they normally did not perform for men other than the man in whose harem they were placed.
While at a wedding in Sinjar (Iraq), Abu Zayd tells the story of how he lost his enslaved concubine (jāriya). The plan had been to keep her in strict seclusion, but one day, under the influence of alcohol, he made the mistake of revealing her existence to a neighbor. Word got around; eventually, Abu Zayd was forced to sell the concubine to the governor.