Recommended listening: Traditional Arabic music
Story
Late March in Cairo was already hot, and Sitt al-Mulk sat reclining near the water. She'd ordered the garden to be built just two years before, yet another space for her to enjoy a life of luxury in the Western Palace. The palace over which she reigned had been built for her by her father, the late Fatimid caliph al-Aziz, as she was the favourite daughter of his favourite wife, a Byzantine Christian slave. Sitt al-Mulk commanded 4,000 slaves herself, living with them just across the street from the palace where her brother al-Hakim ruled as caliph. Sitt al-Mulk's most trusted slave and possibly her closest friend was Taqarrub, who had previously served her mother. Aside from offering companionship, Taqarrub was Sitt al-Mulk's chief spy. Both Sitt al-Mulk and Taqarrub were incredibly wealthy; while the Fatimid caliphs' sons had to live on only an allowance, their daughters were endowed with gifts of land that won them great revenues, possibly to compensate for the fact that they were rarely allowed to marry so as to avoid creating rival branches of the family.
When al-Hakim became caliph on the death of their father, Sitt al-Mulk staged an unsuccessful coup. Her attempt to replace her brother with her cousin was thwarted by Barjawan, the eunuch who had served as her brother's advisor and now took the reigns of regency for himself. Barjawan continued to be a thorn in Sitt al-Mulk's side, sending women from the caliph's harem to check whether she was secretly sleeping with the caliph's generals (and trying to get pregnant with a rival heir). But Sitt al-Mulk knew how to bide her time... On a warm spring day in the year 1000, Sitt al-Mulk couldn't hide a smirk of satisfaction as Taqarrub ran to bring her the latest news from the caliph's palace. Barjawan had been killed, and caliph al-Hakim was taking the credit - but the man who did the deed had been Sitt al-Mulk's ally in the failed coup.
The murder of Barjawan was the first of many assassinations that were rumoured to involve Sitt al-Mulk, but her role was never proven. Regardless of whether she helped orchestrate the attack, his death meant that she was now the one closest to her adolescent brother. 1000 is the year that that tide turned for Sitt al-Mulk - she went from living under the watchful eye of Barjawan to exerting unrivalled influence over the young and erratic caliph. Thus began the golden age of their relationship. For the next few years, al-Hakim made hardly any decisions without his sister having the final say. Things would eventually sour, however; expensive rebellions made al-Hakim resort to seizing the palace women's property to pay off his debts, and he persecuted Christians and Jews, both of which enraged his sister. She started interacting with the provinces independently of her brother, overruling his diplomatic arrangements. When al-Hakim kicked most of the women out of his harem and named a cousin as the heir instead of his own son, Sitt al-Mulk took matters into her own hands. She offered shelter to one of al-Hakim's concubines and her son, and when al-Hakim mysteriously vanished in 1021, she was one of the prime suspects. Once again, though, no evidence could ever be found against her, and Sitt al-Mulk wasted no time installing her young nephew as caliph. She would reign as regent for the next two years until her death in 1023.
During her regency, Sitt al-Mulk reversed many of the restrictions her brother had placed on women in the empire, allowing women to once again to leave the house, wear jewellery, and drink wine. Although she was herself Muslim, she maintained a network of Christian contacts in the imperial administration and remained a steadfast supporter of more religiously tolerant policies thanks to the influence of her Christian mother. This included conducting important diplomatic relations with the Byzantine Empire, such as hosting the patriarch of Jerusalem Nikephoros in Cairo. Taqarrub served Sitt al-Mulk faithfully just as she had served her mother. She died the year after Sitt al-Mulk and left all of her wealth to Maliha, another one of Sitt al-Mulk's slaves. Although their relationship was one of legal inequality, throughout the regency when Sitt al-Mulk grew increasingly paranoid about who she allowed into her inner circle, Taqarrub remained her closest confidante.
When al-Hakim became caliph on the death of their father, Sitt al-Mulk staged an unsuccessful coup. Her attempt to replace her brother with her cousin was thwarted by Barjawan, the eunuch who had served as her brother's advisor and now took the reigns of regency for himself. Barjawan continued to be a thorn in Sitt al-Mulk's side, sending women from the caliph's harem to check whether she was secretly sleeping with the caliph's generals (and trying to get pregnant with a rival heir). But Sitt al-Mulk knew how to bide her time... On a warm spring day in the year 1000, Sitt al-Mulk couldn't hide a smirk of satisfaction as Taqarrub ran to bring her the latest news from the caliph's palace. Barjawan had been killed, and caliph al-Hakim was taking the credit - but the man who did the deed had been Sitt al-Mulk's ally in the failed coup.
The murder of Barjawan was the first of many assassinations that were rumoured to involve Sitt al-Mulk, but her role was never proven. Regardless of whether she helped orchestrate the attack, his death meant that she was now the one closest to her adolescent brother. 1000 is the year that that tide turned for Sitt al-Mulk - she went from living under the watchful eye of Barjawan to exerting unrivalled influence over the young and erratic caliph. Thus began the golden age of their relationship. For the next few years, al-Hakim made hardly any decisions without his sister having the final say. Things would eventually sour, however; expensive rebellions made al-Hakim resort to seizing the palace women's property to pay off his debts, and he persecuted Christians and Jews, both of which enraged his sister. She started interacting with the provinces independently of her brother, overruling his diplomatic arrangements. When al-Hakim kicked most of the women out of his harem and named a cousin as the heir instead of his own son, Sitt al-Mulk took matters into her own hands. She offered shelter to one of al-Hakim's concubines and her son, and when al-Hakim mysteriously vanished in 1021, she was one of the prime suspects. Once again, though, no evidence could ever be found against her, and Sitt al-Mulk wasted no time installing her young nephew as caliph. She would reign as regent for the next two years until her death in 1023.
During her regency, Sitt al-Mulk reversed many of the restrictions her brother had placed on women in the empire, allowing women to once again to leave the house, wear jewellery, and drink wine. Although she was herself Muslim, she maintained a network of Christian contacts in the imperial administration and remained a steadfast supporter of more religiously tolerant policies thanks to the influence of her Christian mother. This included conducting important diplomatic relations with the Byzantine Empire, such as hosting the patriarch of Jerusalem Nikephoros in Cairo. Taqarrub served Sitt al-Mulk faithfully just as she had served her mother. She died the year after Sitt al-Mulk and left all of her wealth to Maliha, another one of Sitt al-Mulk's slaves. Although their relationship was one of legal inequality, throughout the regency when Sitt al-Mulk grew increasingly paranoid about who she allowed into her inner circle, Taqarrub remained her closest confidante.
Artist's Comments
I have been working on this picture for SO LONG! As always with the Women of 1000 AD series, a lot of research went into this illustration. I've really been enjoying filling the gaps in my knowledge of world history by doing this project, and learning about the Fatimid Empire and medieval Islam in general has been really fascinating. I read about politics, religion, gardens, art, jewellery, clothing and more! I did my best to recreate a garden of the Western Palace based on written descriptions and scholarly analysis, since none of the buildings from this period remain except the mosque which al-Hakim built. We know they grew palm trees, sycamores and roses, and that they had waterworks lined in gem-studded marble. We also know that they kept exotic birds, and their jewellery shows a particular affinity for peacocks and parakeets. The garden is enclosed, and you can see hints of a rooftop garden above them.
Taqarrub has her head covered because she's just been to the main palace to spy on the aftermath of Barjawan's murder, while Sitt al-Mulk can let her hair down in the female-dominated Western Palace. The golden bands embroidered onto their arms are tiraz bearing the name of the current caliph around a bird design. I'm grateful to SachiiA, Wickfield, and SenshiStock for help and references when working on this picture. ~ May 9, 2018
Note: More information is available about this illustration on the Bloopers page!
Taqarrub has her head covered because she's just been to the main palace to spy on the aftermath of Barjawan's murder, while Sitt al-Mulk can let her hair down in the female-dominated Western Palace. The golden bands embroidered onto their arms are tiraz bearing the name of the current caliph around a bird design. I'm grateful to SachiiA, Wickfield, and SenshiStock for help and references when working on this picture. ~ May 9, 2018
Note: More information is available about this illustration on the Bloopers page!
Resources
Want to learn more about what life was like for women in the Fatimid Empire? Here are some recommended resources.
Women and the Fatimids in the World of Islam by Delia Cortese and Simonetta Calderini
Exactly what it says on the cover! This book was indispensable to my research on this picture. It's where I learned about Taqarrub, and it goes into great detail about Sitt al-Mulk's life, providing much of the story I retold in the description here. The information about women in the Fatimid Empire in general also offers great context and was a big help.
Sayedda al-Kaslaania's Arts of the Middle Ages website
Illuminating blog written by a reenactor with a Fatimid persona. She offers great analysis of representations of Fatimid women's clothing in art, plus illustrated explanations of all the different layers in a Fatimid woman's outfit based on material from the Cairo Gheniza, an invaluable economic record which catalogues many textiles.
"Fatimid gardens: archaeological and historical perspectives" by Stephanie Pradines and Sher Rahmat Khan
Academic article exploring the design and significance of Fatimid gardens. Sitt al-Mulk's gardens in the Western Palace were some of the finest gardens in the Fatimid Empire, so while her palace does not survive, this analysis of the remains of other gardens from the period offers great insights into what her surroundings would have been like.
"Architecture of the Fatimid" by Sibylle Mazot
In-depth look at the many buildings the Fatimids commissioned, including the mosque built by al-Hakim.
"Gardens of Islam" by Andrew M. Watson
A beautiful look at the religious and cultural significance of gardens to Muslims since the beginnings of Islam.
"A Brief History of Green Spaces in Cairo" by Nasser Rabbat
Book chapter delving into the history of Cairo's cultivated green spaces. Full of fascinating details about the water controls in the gardens, the different plants they grew, and the elaborate wooden platforms the Fatimids built to observe their gardens (which proved too tricky for me to try to draw in this picture!).
Women and the Fatimids in the World of Islam by Delia Cortese and Simonetta Calderini
Exactly what it says on the cover! This book was indispensable to my research on this picture. It's where I learned about Taqarrub, and it goes into great detail about Sitt al-Mulk's life, providing much of the story I retold in the description here. The information about women in the Fatimid Empire in general also offers great context and was a big help.
Sayedda al-Kaslaania's Arts of the Middle Ages website
Illuminating blog written by a reenactor with a Fatimid persona. She offers great analysis of representations of Fatimid women's clothing in art, plus illustrated explanations of all the different layers in a Fatimid woman's outfit based on material from the Cairo Gheniza, an invaluable economic record which catalogues many textiles.
"Fatimid gardens: archaeological and historical perspectives" by Stephanie Pradines and Sher Rahmat Khan
Academic article exploring the design and significance of Fatimid gardens. Sitt al-Mulk's gardens in the Western Palace were some of the finest gardens in the Fatimid Empire, so while her palace does not survive, this analysis of the remains of other gardens from the period offers great insights into what her surroundings would have been like.
"Architecture of the Fatimid" by Sibylle Mazot
In-depth look at the many buildings the Fatimids commissioned, including the mosque built by al-Hakim.
"Gardens of Islam" by Andrew M. Watson
A beautiful look at the religious and cultural significance of gardens to Muslims since the beginnings of Islam.
"A Brief History of Green Spaces in Cairo" by Nasser Rabbat
Book chapter delving into the history of Cairo's cultivated green spaces. Full of fascinating details about the water controls in the gardens, the different plants they grew, and the elaborate wooden platforms the Fatimids built to observe their gardens (which proved too tricky for me to try to draw in this picture!).