Shajar Al-Durr ruled Egypt after the death of her husband, Sultan Al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub, in Mansura, who suffered from a severe illness.
She hid the news of his death from his army and the Mamluks to maintain order among the soldiers. She undertook the Mansura battle against the Crusaders as if her husband were still alive to avoid panic in the army.
Shajar Al-Durr did not intend to take power since she sent immediately for Al-Salih's son, Turanshah, to take his father's place. Unfortunately, his son was a drunkard and could not rule Egypt. He ended up dead at the hands of Baybars al-Bunduqdari, a Mamluk leader.
Afterward, the Bahri Mamluk princes and the heads of the state gathered in a unique event in the history of Islam as they voted Shajar Al-Durr Queen of Egypt.
This came as a surprise to the Ayyubid princes and the Abbasid Caliph himself, who held power over the Egyptian territories, which were a part of the Abbasid Empire.
To satisfy all parties, it was agreed that Shajar Al-Durr would take a husband and Al-Muizz Aybak al-Turkoman, head of her army forces, was chosen. In AH 648 (1250 AD), she gave up her throne to him after 80 days of rule.
The Ayyubid princes were still unsatisfied with these changes and asked for the throne. It was assumed they did not object to Shajar Al-Durr on the basis of her being a female, but out of fear of giving power to the Mamluks. The Ayyubids continued to give trouble to the Mamluks in Syria for a long time.
Al-Muizz Aybak tried to ensure his title and position and proposed marriage for the second time to both the daughters of the King of Hammah and the King of Mosul. Shajar Al-Durr felt betrayed and took charge of the government once again, ignoring Aybak's position and authority as king.
Several things helped her maintain her rule. Her late husband, Al-Salih Najm al-Din, always delegated government issues to her during his absence at war. She maintained governmental traditions just as firmly as men did before her. Her name was stamped on the coinage, the main characteristics of a powerful ruler. She was also nicknamed "Guardian of religion" the mother of Khalil and a prayer was said in her name at the mosque after the usual prayer said for the "Caliph Al-Mustasim."
Shajar Al-Durr forbade Al-Muizz Aybak from seeing his other wife Umm Aly, or "mother of Aly." She demanded a divorce and planned secretly to kill him. She invited him to the Citadel of Salah Al-Din and as he stepped into the bathroom, he was murdered by the servants.
When this news reached the Bahri Mamluks, who supported Aybak, they arrested Shajar Al-Durr and handed her to the harem of women slaves. They beat her to death with clogs and threw her off the Citadel walls. Her body lay there untouched for several days for passers-by to see. Afterward, she was carried away and buried in her grave near the Mausoleum of Al-Sayeda Nafisa.
After the death of her husband Al-Salih Najm al-Din, she built a mausoleum, now known as Mausoleum of Al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub, in the area of al-Nahaseen, or brassmakers' quarter, where he is buried. She also built herself a grave known as the Mausoleum of Shajar Al-Durr, located behind the Mausoleum of Al-Sayeda Nafisa.
Judging by the texts written on its walls, it seems to have been built during her rule. The texts describe her as the guardian of life and religion. Such titles and words were never written unless it was during the lifetime of the person concerned.
Shajar Al-Durr is virtually the only woman that Islamic writers and historians wrote about. Some medieval sources mention a historian named Abd el-Wahed Ibn Aly who is said to have written a whole book called "Shajar Al-Durr ."
She hid the news of his death from his army and the Mamluks to maintain order among the soldiers. She undertook the Mansura battle against the Crusaders as if her husband were still alive to avoid panic in the army.
Shajar Al-Durr did not intend to take power since she sent immediately for Al-Salih's son, Turanshah, to take his father's place. Unfortunately, his son was a drunkard and could not rule Egypt. He ended up dead at the hands of Baybars al-Bunduqdari, a Mamluk leader.
Afterward, the Bahri Mamluk princes and the heads of the state gathered in a unique event in the history of Islam as they voted Shajar Al-Durr Queen of Egypt.
This came as a surprise to the Ayyubid princes and the Abbasid Caliph himself, who held power over the Egyptian territories, which were a part of the Abbasid Empire.
To satisfy all parties, it was agreed that Shajar Al-Durr would take a husband and Al-Muizz Aybak al-Turkoman, head of her army forces, was chosen. In AH 648 (1250 AD), she gave up her throne to him after 80 days of rule.
The Ayyubid princes were still unsatisfied with these changes and asked for the throne. It was assumed they did not object to Shajar Al-Durr on the basis of her being a female, but out of fear of giving power to the Mamluks. The Ayyubids continued to give trouble to the Mamluks in Syria for a long time.
Al-Muizz Aybak tried to ensure his title and position and proposed marriage for the second time to both the daughters of the King of Hammah and the King of Mosul. Shajar Al-Durr felt betrayed and took charge of the government once again, ignoring Aybak's position and authority as king.
Several things helped her maintain her rule. Her late husband, Al-Salih Najm al-Din, always delegated government issues to her during his absence at war. She maintained governmental traditions just as firmly as men did before her. Her name was stamped on the coinage, the main characteristics of a powerful ruler. She was also nicknamed "Guardian of religion" the mother of Khalil and a prayer was said in her name at the mosque after the usual prayer said for the "Caliph Al-Mustasim."
Shajar Al-Durr forbade Al-Muizz Aybak from seeing his other wife Umm Aly, or "mother of Aly." She demanded a divorce and planned secretly to kill him. She invited him to the Citadel of Salah Al-Din and as he stepped into the bathroom, he was murdered by the servants.
When this news reached the Bahri Mamluks, who supported Aybak, they arrested Shajar Al-Durr and handed her to the harem of women slaves. They beat her to death with clogs and threw her off the Citadel walls. Her body lay there untouched for several days for passers-by to see. Afterward, she was carried away and buried in her grave near the Mausoleum of Al-Sayeda Nafisa.
After the death of her husband Al-Salih Najm al-Din, she built a mausoleum, now known as Mausoleum of Al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub, in the area of al-Nahaseen, or brassmakers' quarter, where he is buried. She also built herself a grave known as the Mausoleum of Shajar Al-Durr, located behind the Mausoleum of Al-Sayeda Nafisa.
Judging by the texts written on its walls, it seems to have been built during her rule. The texts describe her as the guardian of life and religion. Such titles and words were never written unless it was during the lifetime of the person concerned.
Shajar Al-Durr is virtually the only woman that Islamic writers and historians wrote about. Some medieval sources mention a historian named Abd el-Wahed Ibn Aly who is said to have written a whole book called "Shajar Al-Durr ."
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