Slavery has existed all through the history of mankind. It has differed in form, number and distribution through the ages. Even today we find examples of slavery or slavelike conditions in many countries. We have relatively good knowledge of the history of slavery in the Americas, the slaves kept by the vikings in Scandinavia, the slaves in ancient Egypt, and many other societies where slavery has been an integral part of the community, and accepted by most people. But there are many holes in our knowledge, and this book is an attempt to widen our knowledge about slavery in 19th. century Egypt. The slave trade to Egypt, the role and functions of slaves in Egypt and the social and legal position of slaves are described and discussed. Also the process which led to the abolition of slavery in Egypt is an important part of this book.

Børge Fredriksen (born 1952) has a Cand. Philol. degree in history from the University of Bergen, 1977.

He was a teacher at several upper secondary schools in Bergen from 1978 to 2016, and also a supervisor at the 1-year programme in educational theory and practice at the University of Bergen. He was a representative for Utdanningsforbundet (a teachers` trade union) for several years.