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Shajar al-Durr

Type Figure Region Egypt Time c. 1200–1257 Also known as Pearl of the Tree

Shajar al-Durr (d. 1257), originally a Turkic slave girl, became wife of Ayyubid sultan al-Salih Ayyub;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1240–1249Cairo · CairoShajar al-Durr enjoyed al-Salih Ayyub's deep trust, took part in state affairs at court, and built palaces and mosques in the Nile Delta to consolidate her position.
  2. 1249–1250Cairo · CairoAfter al-Salih Ayyub fell in battle in 1249 she concealed his death and directed military affairs; in 1250, after defeating Louis IX, she declared herself sultan; because the caliph of Baghdad refused to recognize a female ruler, she was soon forced to abdicate.
  3. 1250–1257Cairo · CairoAfter abdicating she married Mamluk sultan Aybak and continued to influence the court; in 1257 she was killed by a servant of Aybak's former wife amid power struggles, and was buried in Cairo.

Sources