Racial Ambiguity and Religious Vulnerability in Late Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-century Iran: The Life of Ghulam-‘Ali Siyah Khurasani of Yazd, an Afro-Iranian Baha’i

Scholars of Iranian history have begun turning their attention to the presence of enslaved Africans in Iran. The history of Africans and racial categories and identities has emerged in academic literature as a topic worthy of study. 1 While there is much yet to be learned, we can recognize now that enslaved Africans in Iran were able to maintain their own religious ceremonies, speak their own Persian dialect, perform their own musical styles and forms of dance, conduct healing practices, and so forth. This African cultural influence has certainly been a factor in shaping all aspects of Iranian society. 2