Banafsha bint Abdullah al-Rumiyyah (Arabic: بنفشة بنت عبد الله الرمية) (died 1201) was a slave consort of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mustadi (r. 1170–1180).[1][2]
| Banafsha bint Abdullah al-Rumiyyah بانفشة بنت عبد الله الرمية | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umm walad of the Abbasid caliph | |||||
| Period | 1170 – 1180 | ||||
| Died | 1201 Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate | ||||
| Burial | Sheikh Maarouf Cemetery, Baghdad | ||||
| Spouse | Al-Mustadi | ||||
| Relatives | One daughter Al-Nasir (step-son) | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Abdullah al-Rumi | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
| Occupation | |||||
Her origin is termed to have been "Roman" or Rumiyya, that is to say of Greek origin from the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople. She was reportedly the daughter of Abdullah, a Greek.[3] She was a slave brought to the Harem of the Caliph. As was the custom she was compelled to convert to Islam and was given a new name.
She became Al-Mustadi's favourite concubine.[3] The Caliph manumitted her and married her. He had a palace built for her personal use in Baghdad.
Banafsha is described as loving and merciful. She did not give birth to a son, but she successfully supported her stepson Al-Nasir to the succession before his brother prince Hashem. Because of this, she was favored by Al-Nasir when he became Caliph in 1180.
It was impossible for her to leave the harem, but she became known for her donations and charitable projects, which was a common method for the secluded harem wives of the Caliphs to create a public name for themselves.[4] She was considered a powerful woman in her court and kingdom.[5] She died on 27 December 1201 and was buried in the mausoleum of Zumurrud Khatun in Sheikh Maarouf Cemetery.[3]
She is known as the founder of the Hanbali Banafsha School in Baghdad (1174).[6] She also built a bridge between the Karkh and Al-Rusafa districts in Baghdad.
References edit
- ^ El-Hibri, T. (2021). The Abbasid Caliphate: A History. Cambridge University Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-107-18324-7.
- ^ Renterghem, Vanessa van (2008). "Social and urban dynamics in Baghdad during the Saldjūq period (mid. Vth/XIth mid. VIth/XIIth c.)". 1: 171.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c al-Sāʿī, Ibn; Toorawa, Shawkat M.; Bray, Julia (2017). كتاب جهات الأئمة الخلفاء من الحرائر والإماء المسمى نساء الخلفاء: Women and the Court of Baghdad. Library of Arabic Literature. NYU Press. pp. 66–68. ISBN 978-1-4798-6679-3.
- ^ Ibn al-Sāʽī, Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad, ed. by Shawkat M. Toorawa, trans. by the Editors of the Library of Arabic Literature (New York: New York University Press, 2015)
- ^ Swartz, Merlin (2002-01-01), "Authorship and Date of Composition", A Medieval Critique of Anthropomorphism, Brill, pp. 33–45, ISBN 978-90-04-45326-5, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ Richter-Bernburg, Lutz (1982). "Ibn al-Māristānīya: The Career of a Ḥanbalite Intellectual in Sixth/Twelfth Century Baghdad". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 102 (2): 265–283. doi:10.2307/602527. ISSN 0003-0279.