Dayfa Khatun
| Dayfa Khatun | |
|---|---|
| Regent of the Ayyubid Emirate of Aleppo | |
| Regency | 26 November 1236 – 1242 |
| Predecessor | Shihab ad-Din Toghril |
| Successor | Shams ad-Din Lu'lu' |
| Emir | An-Nasir Yusuf (grandson) |
| Died | 1242 |
| Spouse |
Az-Zahir Ghazi, Emir of Aleppo (m. 1212; d. 1216), |
| Issue | Al-Aziz Muhammad |
| Dynasty | Ayyubid |
| Father | Al-Adil, Sultan of Egypt |
| Religion | Islam |
Dayfa Khatun (Arabic: ضيفة خاتون; died 1242) was the regent of Aleppo from 26 November 1236 to 1242 during the minority of her grandson An-Nasir Yusuf's reign. She was an Ayyubid princess, as daughter of Al-Adil, Sultan of Egypt. Later, she married with her first cousin, Az-Zahir Ghazi, Emir of Aleppo, which marked the end of the rivalry between the two branches of the family.
During her minor grandson reign, Dayfa Khatun achieved an unprecedented measure of autonomous political influence. She became Ayyubid female regent, and played a major role in architectural patronage in Aleppo, being responsible for the construction of the Firdaws Madrasa.
Dayfa, the daughter of al-Adil, was married to Saladin's son Az-Zahir Ghazi in 1212. Ghazi requested her hand in marriage to end the conflict between him and al-Adil. When she arrived in Aleppo, she was greeted by a great ceremony and received by Ghazi, his emirs, and local notables. Ibn Wasil wrote "When she entered al-Malik az-Zahir [Az-Zahir Ghazi], he arose and took several steps towards her and showed her great respect." Her marriage was instrumental in the unification and maintenance of the Ayyubid empire.
Dayfa's status grew more important when she gave birth to al-Aziz Muhammad, Ghazi's son and heir to throne of Aleppo. Not much about her is recorded for the remainder of Ghazi's rule which ended when he died in 1216 or Muhammad's reign which ended when he died in 1236. Dayfa Khatun is famous for building the Khanqah al-Farafira, the monastic centre of sufism in the city of Aleppo.
With the death of her son, Dayfa Khatun came to play a prominent role. Her grandson An-Nasir Yusuf was only seven years old, so a council of regency was formed, consisting of Shams ad-Din Lu'lu' al-Amini, Izz ad-Din Umar al-Majalli, the vizier Jamal ad-Din al-Qifti ad her own slave Jamal ad-Dawla Iqbal az-Zahiri. The latter acted as her secretary and deputy to the regency council. All decisions of the regency council had to be approved by her, and her signature was affixed to all documents it issued. During her regency Aleppo was threatened from many directions by powerful neighbours, but contemporary writer all attest to her diplomatic skills in keeping Aleppo free from conflict. After her death, Aleppo's diplomatic position was never as strong vis a vis its neighbours as it was under her rule.
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Wikipedia