Banafsha bint Abdullah al-Rumiyyah (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: بنفشة بنت عبد الله الرمية) (died 1201) was a slave consort of the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

caliph

Al-Mustadi Abu Muhammad Hasan ibn Yusuf al-Mustanjid (; 1142 – 27 March 1180) usually known by his regnal title al-Mustadi () was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 1170 to 1180. He succeeded his father al-Mustanjid. Biography Al-Mustadi was the son of ...

(r. 1170–1180). Her origin is termed to have been "Roman" or ''

Rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

iyya'', that is to say of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

origin from the Byzantine Empire of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. She was reportedly the daughter of a Greek, and called "bint Abdullah" ("daughter of Abdullah") since slave women and daughters of non-Muslim fathers were normally referred to with this patronymicon. She was a slave brought to the Harem of the Caliph. As was the custom she was compelled to convert to Islam and was given a new name. She became Al-Mustadi's favourite

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

. The Caliph manumitted her and married her. He had a palace built for her personal use in Baghdad. Banafsha is described as loving and merciful. She did not give birth to a son, but she successfully supported her stepson

Al-Nasir Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn al-Hasan al-Mustaḍīʾ (), better known by his al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh (; 6 August 1158 – 5 October 1225) or simply as al-Nasir, was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 1180 until his death. His literally can m ...

to the succession before his brother prince Hashem. Because of this, she was favored by Al-Nasir when he became Caliph in 1180. It was impossible for her to leave the harem, but she became known for her donations and charitable projects, which was a common method for the secluded harem wives of the Caliphs to create a public name for themselves. She was considered a powerful woman in her court and kingdom. She died on 27 December 1201 and was buried in the mausoleum of Zumurrud Khatun in Sheikh Maarouf Cemetery. She is known as the founder of the

Hanbali The Hanbali school or Hanbalism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It is named after and based on the teachings of the 9th-century scholar, jurist and tradit ...

Banafsha School in Baghdad (1174). She also built a bridge between the

Karkh Al-Karkh or just Karkh (Arabic: الكرخ) is historically the name of the western half of Baghdad, Iraq, or alternatively, the western shore of the Tigris River as it ran through Baghdad. The eastern shore is known as al-Rusafa. Historically, ...

and Al-Rusafa districts in Baghdad.

References

{{reflist 1201 deaths Concubines of the Abbasid caliphs Wives of Abbasid caliphs 12th-century women from the Abbasid Caliphate 13th-century women from the Abbasid Caliphate 13th-century slaves 12th-century Greek people