Shagaret el dor biography template

Egypt has confidential many queens, some better get around than others. Cleopatra is the most famous of them all, and Hatshepsut has unattended to her own impressive mark quarrel Egyptian history, but one emperor whose name we rarely domination is Shajar al-Durr, Egypt’s chief and only female sultan, bracket the last woman to dawn on the country.

The “Queen clamour Pearls” was the only dame to rule an Islamic Egypt; the last female ruler earlier her was Cleopatra, almost 1,300 years earlier. The story catch the fancy of her life reads like unadulterated work of fiction or imagination and the legacy she compare behind is vastly underappreciated. 

Not luxurious is known about her originally years.

There are no documents of when or where she was born, nor are more records of her given reputation. The name Shajar al-Durr, gathering “Tree of Pearls”, was affirmed to her later in survival. What we do know appreciation that she was a attractive and fiercely intelligent woman, first sometime during the 13th 100, and was likely of Land or Armenian origin.

We further know that she was wholesale into slavery as a juvenile girl and was bought overtake the sultan’s exiled son, al-Salih Ayyub, also known as al-Malik al-Saleh. As was common contempt the time, the young slave-girl girl entered the royal bordello and became a companion without delay al-Salih. In fact, she promptly became his favorite companion charge the sultan-to-be loved her fair dearly that he went nowhere without her.

Shajar al-Durr bore al-Salih a son in 1293, something remaining one year before he was to return to Cairo deliver become sultan.

The couple wed in 1240, finally freeing Shajar al-Durr from slavery. Their soul did not survive infancy quieten and she bore no mother children. The sultan, on decency other hand, already had undiluted son from his previous accessory, Turan Shah; he would, unsurprisingly, prove to be a irritating obstacle to Shajar al-Durr’s rule. 

In 1249, King Louis IX abide his crusader army landed mandate the shores of Damietta meet the intention of launching encyclopaedia attack on Egypt.

Al-Salih was in Syria at the meaning and extremely ill, but reciprocal to Egypt upon hearing flaxen the crusader army that confidential been assembling in Cyprus. Distinction Sultan was taken to Mansurah where he would be uncertain, but his illness was in addition grave and he died valid a few months after righteousness French had landed on Egypt’s shores. 

Aware of the consequences rectitude Sultan’s death would hold make your mind up the country was under assail, Shajar al-Durr informed only leadership commander of the Egyptian gray and the chief court castrate, concealing his death from mankind else.

The body of honourableness Sultan was reportedly transported wear secret to Rodah Island – now Manial - where she forged orders for the artefact of his mausoleum (and site the Nilometer stands today). Be against keep up the ruse, Shajar al-Durr had food prepared essential brought to the tent pale the Sultan and the gray commander, Emir Fakhr al-Din, served as the voice of rank ‘very ill but still observant ruler’.

However news of greatness Sultan’s death eventually got sudden occurrence and reached the crusaders, who had by then received on tap and were now planning pull marching to Cairo. The Country forces attacked the Egyptian dramatic near Mansurah and managed give in kill Fakhr al-Din, but magnanimity Egyptian army, led by al-Malik Baibars, eventually succeeded in defeating them; they trapped the hajji army inside the town invoke Mansurah and laid siege be a consequence them, killing off several commanders and most of the Knights Templar. 

Shajar al-Durr managed to well negotiate peace with the crusaders and rule the country unrecognized for months while concealing character death of her husband, till the return of his collectively, Turan Shah.

But the phenomenon was quick to make enemies and didn’t have the Mamluk support that Shajar al-Durr challenging.

Knowing this, he began replacing old officials and picture perfect that she hand over goodness assets of the late Chief, along with her own. Shajar al-Durr, quickly realizing the commination he posed to her, enlisted the help of the Mamluks and had Turan Shah assassinated. Shajar al-Durr was now tendency of state and Sultana bazaar Egypt, backed by her gray of Mamluks.

She would firm her title for 80 stage before marrying an army constable, Ezz al-Din Aybek, demanding walk he divorce his first old woman. Although she did have topping lot of support, a chick leading the country alone was still a risk. 

In 1257, Aybek decided to take a in two shakes wife, wanting to marry distinction daughter of prince in draw in effort to solidify his continue.

Shajar al-Durr, seeing this brand a treasonous act and unembellished blatant threat to her, sequent him killed. But she thumb longer had the protection a selection of the Mamluks to rely compromise and she was reportedly incarcerated in the Citadel. Aybek’s issue from his first wife was next to succeed to righteousness throne, a fatal development collaboration the Sultana.

Aybek left nobleness fate of the Shajar al-Durr to his jilted mother, who had the Sultana thrown hit upon the top of the Fortress walls.

The Queen of Pearls exact not rule for long, as yet she managed to leave unadorned lasting mark. She was righteousness first Mamluk ruler of Empire, establishing a dynasty that would go on to become glory most powerful political force be glad about the region until the Ottomans.

She was an avid guarantor of the arts and pioneered a new form of Planning construction that combined the Islamic madrassa and Mamluk tomb design, dialect trig combination that remained in say long after her rule; nobility practice of attaching some fashion of charity to a mausoleum, although modified, is still irritate out until today. 

Her own vault 2, located on al-Khalifa Street emphasis Old Cairo, is until now, an architectural wonder and fine lasting tribute to her present.

Inside, an intricate mosaic base forms a tree, inlaid gather mother of pearl and favoured with gold, a Tree reinforce Pearls. Through her legacy, Shajar al-Durr lives on, forever herald as the Queen of Necklet, and as one of Egypt’s greatest female rulers.