Melek Tourhan
| Melek Tourhan | |
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Sultana Melek in 1938 (photo by Riad Shehata)
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| Sultana of Egypt | |
| Tenure | 19 December 1914 – 9 October 1917 |
| Born |
27 October 1869 Istanbul, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 4 February 1956 (aged 86) Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt |
| Burial | Al-Rifa'i Mosque, Cairo, Egypt |
| Spouse | Hussein Kamel (m. 1887; dec. 1917) |
| Issue |
Princess Kadria Princess Samiha Princess Badiha |
| House | House of Muhammad Ali (by marriage) |
| Father | Hasan Tourhan Pasha |
| Mother | Jeshm Afet Hanimefendi (adoptive) |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
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Monarchical styles of Sultana Melek |
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| Reference style | Sa Hautesse |
| Spoken style | Votre Hautesse |
| Alternative style | Hanem |
Melek Hassan Tourhan (Arabic: ملك حسن طوران) (27 October 1869 – 4 February 1956) was the second wife of Sultan Hussein Kamel of Egypt. After her husband ascended the throne in 1914, she became known as Sultana Melek (Arabic: السلطانة ملك).
Born in Istanbul in 1869, Melek was a Circassian. However, unlike many Circassians in the Ottoman era, she was not a slave. Emine Foat Tugay, whose mother Princess Nimet Mouhtar was a friend of Melek, described her as "a pocket Venus, tiny but perfectly proportioned, a pretty, lively brunette, with great charm." Tugay states in her family memoirs that "as a child [Melek] was delicate and was often sent to spend a fortnight with Neshedil Kadinefendi [wife of Khedive Isma'il and mother of Princess Nimet] in the salubrious air of Zaaferan."
Melek's father Hasan Pasha was a captain in the Ottoman Navy. When Melek was still an infant, he offered her for adoption in order to improve her lot in life. Melek was adopted by Jeshm Afet Hanimefendi, the third wife of Khedive Isma'il Pasha of Egypt. In 1887, she married Hussein Kamel, the khedive's favorite son. She bore him three daughters: Kadria, Samiha and Badiha. Hussein Kamel was not expected to ascend the throne when Melek married him. When his eldest brother Khedive Tewfik died in 1892, he was succeeded by his son Abbas Hilmi II, who fathered two sons of his own during his reign. However, events took an unexpected turn with the outbreak of World War I. The United Kingdom, which was occupying Egypt at the time, deposed Abbas and installed his uncle Hussein Kamel as Egypt's new ruler. Hussein Kamel was given the title of Sultan of Egypt by the British in order to emphasize the end of Egypt's status as a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan. As a result, Melek received the title of Sultana. Hussein Kamel invented for himself and his wife the style of (Arabic: عظمة; Azama), which can be translated into English as Gloriness.
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