Ibn Battuta's account shows considerable differentiation among slaves. Besides performing music and dance, for which task did the Sultan employ female slaves?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Keeping a watch on his nobles
Option (1) Guarding the gates of the royal palace — Incorrect. Ibn Battuta does not show female slaves as palace guards. He gives their work as entertainers and as spies.
Option (2) Keeping a watch on his nobles — Correct. Female slaves were employed by the Sultan to keep a watch on his nobles. Slave girls passed what they knew to female scavengers who entered nobles' houses unannounced.
Option (3) Keeping the accounts of the royal treasury — Incorrect. Keeping treasury accounts is not among the tasks Ibn Battuta records for female slaves.
Option (4) Carrying royal orders to provincial governors — Incorrect. Carrying orders to governors is not among their tasks in his account. Their work was watching the nobles from inside.
NCERT (2026-27): “7. Women … |