| 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 | |||||
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]
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.[2] She was a slave bought 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.[2] The Caliph manumitted her and married her. He had a palace built for her personal use in Baghdad.
Banafsha are 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.[3] She died on 27 December 1201 and was buried in the mausoleum of Zumurrud Khatun in Sheikh Maarouf Cemetery.[2]
She is known as the founder of the Hanbali Banafsha School in Baghdad (1174). She also built a bridge between the Karkh and Al-Rusafa districts in Baghdad.
References
- ↑ El-Hibri, T. (2021). The Abbasid Caliphate: A History. Cambridge University Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-107-18324-7.
- 1 2 3 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)