Abish Khatun () — was the 9th and last ruler of the
Salghurids
The Salghurids ( fa, سلغُریان), also known as the Atabegs of Fars (), were a Persianate dynasty of Salur Turkmen origin that ruled Fars, first as vassals of the Seljuqs then for the Khwarazm Shahs in the 13th century.
History
Th ...
of
Shiraz
Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 ...
from 1264 to 1282.
Life as princess
She was born in
Shiraz
Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 ...
around 1259/1260 to Salghurid Atabeg
Sa'd II Sa'd II was the Salghurid ''atabeg'' (ruler) of Fars briefly in 1260. While he was returning from an attendance with the Ilkhanate, his father Abu Bakr ibn Sa'd
Abu Bakr ibn Sa'd, also known as Muzaffar al-Din Qutlugh Khan, was the Salghurid ''a ...
(
ca) and Turkan Khatun - daughter of Mahmudshah,
Atabeg of Yazd. She was thrown into prison by
Saljuqshah, her father's cousin and ruling Atabeg, who previously married Turkan Khatun and killed her for infidelity. Saljuqshah later started a rebellion against Ilkhanate, killing two local ''
basqaqs''.
Hulegu khan in his turn executed
Muhammadshah, elder brother of
Saljuqshah, sent an army under commanders Altaju and Temür to suppress revolt. Saljuqshah suddenly found himself under siege from Nizam al-Din Hasanwayh of
Shabankara, Atabeg Alauddawla Mahmud of
Yazd
Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Wor ...
and Adud al-Din Amir Hajji — commander of
Qutlugh-khanids
The Qutlugh-Khanids (otherwise known as the Qutlugh-Khanid dynasty, Kirmanid dynasty, or very rarely as the Later Western Liao) was a dynasty of ethnic Khitan origin that ruled over Kirman (in present-day Kerman Province, Iran) from 1222 to 1306 ...
. In the battle near
Kazerun
Kazeroon ( fa, کازرون, also Romanized as Kāzerūn, Kāzeroūn, and Kazeroon; also known as Kasrun) is a city and capital of Kazeroon County, Fars Province, Iran. In 2016, as the fifth big city in the province, its population was 96,683. ...
, Shabakara chief was killed by Saljuqshah. Saljuqshah found refuge Friday Mosque, but Mongols stormed the mosque, capturing and torturing him and finally executing in 1264.
Reign
Abish Khatun was declared the Atabeg of Fars on the orders from
Hulegu
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...
. The ''
khutba
''Khutbah'' ( ar, خطبة ''khuṭbah'', tr, hutbe) serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.
Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition ...
'' was also proclaimed in her name, signifying her confirmation as sovereign monarch. She and her older sister Bibi Salghum (widow of
Muhammadshah) was taken to
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...
capital by their grandmother Yaqut Turkan (daughter of
Buraq Hajib Buraq Hajib, also spelt Baraq Hajib (died 1234), Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press. . was a Khitan who founded the Qutlugh-Khanid dynasty in the southern Persian province of Kirman th ...
).
Another revolt started in 1265 by local Islamic preacher Shaykh Sharaf al-Din Ibrahim during her reign was suppressed cruelly. Abish's Mongol overseers Altaju, Shadi, Damur all followed each other hastily as the result of ongoing turmoil. Situation was stabilized when
Abaqa Khan
Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, mn, Абаха/Абага хан (Khalkha Cyrillic), ( Traditional script), "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (''Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hula ...
appointed Angyanu - a Turk overseer to the province. However his actions also draw a hate from Shirazi elite and he war removed from his post in 1271. New overseer Suqunjaq Noyan (grandson of
Chilaun Chilaun ( mn, Чулуун) was a general in the Mongol Empire, known as one of Genghis Khan's four valiant warriors. His relatives, specifically his father Sorqan-Shira, helped young Genghis escape from captivity at the hands of the Tayichiuds. His ...
) arranged Abish Khatun's marriage. She was already betrothed to Mengü Temür (son of
Hulegu
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...
) by 1261, she went on to marrying him in 1272. Although it was against ''
sharia'' to marry a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim, there was a grandiose wedding with lavish gifts according to
Wassaf.
From this moment she lived in the ''
orda'' of Oljai Khatun - mother of
Mengü Temür. This also made Mengü Temür a de facto ruler of Shiraz. Abish returned to effective rule only in 1284.
When Abish returned to Shiraz there was great celebration and coins were struck in her name for a month. Abish appointed Jalal ad-Din Arqan, a
Salghurid descendant and her 2nd cousin once removed as the new chief minister. Abish's corrupt government coincided with a famine where over 100.000 people died in
Fars. Furthermore she got into a power struggle with new overseer Sayyed Imadaddin, leading to his murder on 30 December 1284. As the result
Buqa
Buqa (or Bugha) (died January 16, 1289) was a Mongol lord and chancellor who was instrumental in sweeping Arghun to power as the fourth Il-Khan of Iran in 1284 and became his chief minister (vizier) and advisor, succeeding Shams ad-Din Juvayni wh ...
and
Arghun
Arghun Khan ( Mongolian Cyrillic: ''Аргун хан''; Traditional Mongolian: ; c. 1258 – 10 March 1291) was the fourth ruler of the Mongol empire's Ilkhanate, from 1284 to 1291. He was the son of Abaqa Khan, and like his father, was a d ...
ordered removal of Abish from her post. She was summoned to the court later and was interrogated. It was Jalal ad-Din Arqan first to reveal the details of murder, after which he was sawed in half. She was ordered to may
blood money to Sayyed's sons as the result of court.
Death
She remained in
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quru River valley in Iran's historic Azerbaijan region between long ridges of vo ...
's Charandab district and died from an illness after a year. She was the last sovereign of the
Salghurid dynasty.
Family
She was married to Mengü Temür (son of
Hulegu
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...
) in 1272. She had two daughters:
Kurdujin Khatun and Alghanchi.
References
Further reading
* Mernissi, Fatima. ''The Forgotten Queens of Islam''. Mary Jo Lakeland. Minneapolis:University of Minnesota Press, 1993. p. 104.
* Uçok , Bahriye. ''Al-nisa’ al-hakimat fi tarikh''. Trans. I. Daquqi. Baghdad:Matba’a al-Sa’dun, 1973. pp. 101ff.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Absh Khatun
13th-century births
13th-century deaths
13th-century women rulers
People of the Ilkhanate
Women of the Mongol Empire
Salghurids