Abstract
The material culture sponsored by Shajar al-Durr (r. 1250) during her brief three-month reign in medieval Cairo cohesively asserted the authority of the first female Egyptian sultan. From dinars to funerary foundations, the coinage and architecture linked to her patronage provides an epigraphic record of the sultana’s rule. According to the traditions of early medieval Islamic governed states, sultans conventionally displayed their power in numismatic and architectural modes, as exemplified by the patronage of Saladin (r.1174-1193). The inscriptional content and style of the sultana’s commissions reveal the patronage of Shajar al-Durr drew upon the calligraphic styles of former dynasties, yet incorporated novel elements associated with female nobility. This study highlights the manner in which the visual legacy of the sultana assimilated pre-existing paradigms of authority and piety, and infused them with innovative gendered dimensions. While her reign was short-lived, the program of public texts sponsored during Shajar al-Durr’s rule projected her as a legitimate leader worthy of authority and reverence.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Calligraphy and Architecture in the Muslim World |
| State | Published - 2014 |
Disciplines
- Arts and Humanities