 The concoction was then hidden in an alley, in the belief that all who pass through the alley would take away the patient's ailment.Mirzai Asl (2002) suggests that the introduction to Iran likewise took place in the 19th century (Qajar period) by Africans brought to Iran via the Arab slave trade.Natvig (1988) reports that the "zār" cult "served as a refuge for women and effeminate men" in the Sahel (Sudan) region under Islamic rule.