You’re reading my newsletter, Terra Nullius, on the weird and interesting intricacies of the countries and places that make up our world. It currently goes out to around 1,000 people every week. You can subscribe here: When I visited Oman for the first time several years ago, I visited the Al Alam Palace in Muscat, the capital city. At the gates of the Sultan’s ceremonial residence, I was told a fascinating story about the place by an Omani friend.
Whenever I mention to the modern-day version of leftists how recently many Islamic countries had legal slavery, they always retort that it was "just some musty old law on the books, there weren't any actual slaves in those countries in the 20th century". They also like to talk a lot about European imperialism, and are ignorant that up to 1913 the Turks ruled significant parts of eastern Europe; and it was not a benevolent rule..
Whenever I mention to the modern-day version of leftists how recently many Islamic countries had legal slavery, they always retort that it was "just some musty old law on the books, there weren't any actual slaves in those countries in the 20th century". They also like to talk a lot about European imperialism, and are ignorant that up to 1913 the Turks ruled significant parts of eastern Europe; and it was not a benevolent rule..