The Caliphs – and the Arab conquerors generally – were great connoisseurs of female flesh. This particular statue comes from the exquisite palace built at Jericho by Hisham, the last of Abd al-Malik’s sons to rule as Caliph. “He who wishes to take a slave girl for pleasure”, so Abd al-Malik himself had advised, “let him take a Berber.” (Tom Holland)

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