Sifri Khatun () () was a

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

princess, daughter of sultan

Alp Arslan Alp Arslan, born Muhammad Alp Arslan bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second List of sultans of the Seljuk Empire, sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk (warlord), Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty and the empire. He g ...

(r. 1063–1072), sister of

Malik-Shah I Malik-Shah I (, ) was the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, under whom the sultanate reached the zenith of its power and influence. During his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, ...

(r. 1072–1092) and the first wife of

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-Muqtadi Abū'l-Qasim ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qa'im (Arabic: أبو القاسم عبد الله بن محمد بن القائم) better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadi (Arabic: المقتدي 'the follower'; 1056 – February 1094) was the ...

(r. 1075–1094).

Biography

One of Alp Arslan's wives in the

Seljuk harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic servants, and other unmarried female re ...

was Safariyya Khatun. She had a daughter, Sifri Khatun. Her mother, Safariyya died in

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

in 1073–4. Sifri Khatun in 1071–72, married

caliph

Al-Muqtadi Abū'l-Qasim ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qa'im (Arabic: أبو القاسم عبد الله بن محمد بن القائم) better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadi (Arabic: المقتدي 'the follower'; 1056 – February 1094) was the ...

. In 1071–72 the grandfather of al-Muqtadi, Al-Qa'im sent his vazir Ibn Al-Jahir to ask her hand in marriage, to which demand the Sultan agreed. She married Abdallah ibn Muhammad (future ''Al-Muqtadi'') and the marriage was consummated shortly after the marriage. This marriage was politically important for the caliph because it gives him a power over Seljuk territories. As the ruling caliph was also related to ruling Seljuk sultan though marriage. However, Her father, Alp Arslan died shortly after her marriage in 1072 and her husband al-Muqtadi married another Seljuk princess decade later. Al-Muqtadi's second wife was

Mah-i Mulk Khatun Mah-i Mulk Khatun (, also Mah Melek Hatun) was a Seljuk princess, daughter of sultan Malik Shah, sister of sultan Mahmud I and the second wife of Abbasid caliph Al-Muqtadi. Biography Mah-i Mulk Khatun was one of Malik Shah's daughters, her mother ...

, daughter of Sultan

. In March 1082, Al-Muqtadi sent Abu Nasr ibn Jahir to Malik Shah in Isfahan to ask for her hand in marriage. Her father gave his consent and the marriage contract was concluded. She arrived in Baghdad on March 1087. The marriage was consummated in May, 1087, and she entered the

Abbasid harem The harem of the caliphs of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258) in Baghdad was composed of their mothers, wives, slave concubines, female relatives and slave servants (women and eunuchs), occupying a secluded portion of the Abbasid house ...

. She gave birth to Prince Ja'far on 31 January 1088. This second marriage also proved beneficial to al-Muqtadi political power as it made al-Muqtadi both the brother-in-law and son-in-law of Malik-Shah. Even though Sifri Khatun remained as the first wife of al-Muqtadi, she didn't remain influential, as her niece Mah-i-Mulk Khatun was the daughter of the ruling Seljuk sultan.

References

Sources

* El-Hibri, T. (2021). The Abbasid Caliphate: A History. Cambridge University Press. * {{cite book , last=Lambton , first=A.K.S. , title=Continuity and Change in Medieval Persia , publisher=Bibliotheca Persica , series=Bibliotheca Persica , year=1988 , isbn=978-0-88706-133-2 * al-Sāʿī, Ibn; Toorawa, Shawkat M.; Bray, Julia (2017). كتاب جهات الأئمة الخلفاء من الحرائر والإماء المسمى نساء الخلفاء: Women and the Court of Baghdad. Library of Arabic Literature. NYU Press. Seljuk princesses 11th-century women from the Abbasid Caliphate Wives of Abbasid caliphs 11th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate Year of birth missing Year of death missing