15 Facts About Dayfa Khatun

Dayfa Khatun was an Ayyubid princess, as the daughter of Al-Adil, Sultan of Egypt.

Dayfa Khatun married her first cousin, Az-Zahir Ghazi, Emir of Aleppo, which marked the end of the rivalry between the two branches of the family.

Dayfa Khatun acted as regent during the minority of her grandson, which was a highly unusual position for a woman in an Islamic dynasty, and played a major role in architectural patronage in Aleppo, being responsible for the construction of the Firdaws Madrasa.

Dayfa Khatun was married to Saladin's son Az-Zahir Ghazi in 1212.

Ghazi's son only ruled for 4 years until 1235, when both he and Toghril died, leaving Dayfa Khatun to become the first woman to govern an Islamic dynasty.

Dayfa Khatun is famous for building the Khanqah al-Farafira, the monastic centre of sufism in the city of Aleppo.

Dayfa Khatun had the position of regent, which was very unusual in an Islamic dynasty.

Dayfa Khatun, likely, had always intended to be a court patron considering female patrons were a tradition of Damascus by the time she was born.

Dayfa Khatun sponsored two major architectural structures, the Khanqah al-Farafra and the Madrasa al-firdaws.

Dayfa Khatun removed various taxes in all the regions of Aleppo.

Dayfa Khatun favored jurists, ascetics, scholars, and people of religion, and extended to them many charities.

The al-Firdaws Madrasa, referred to as the School of Paradise, is a 13th century complex that Dayfa Khatun established with her own personal resources.

Zumurrud Dayfa Khatun was a former slave that rose to prominence due to her marriage to al-Mustadi.

Dayfa Khatun died in 1242 and the leading figure in the regency thereafter was Shams al-Din Lu'lu' until her grandson An-Nasir Yusuf began to rule independently.

Dayfa Khatun's possessions were carefully distributed, and many elegies were created in her honor during this time period, per the request of the caliph.