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Dayfa Khatun

Known For: Queen of Aleppo; regent ruler and architectural patron
Dates: 541 - 639 AH
1186 – 1244 CE
Country: Syria

About

Dayfa Khatun was the regent of Halab (Aleppo), ruling on behalf of her young grandson from 1237 to 1244 CE.  She was the daughter of Ayyubid ruler al-Adil I and the wife of Az-Zahir Ghazi who was governor of Halab and son of Salah ad-Din (Saladin).

During her six-year reign as sovereign of Aleppo, Dayfa Khatun dedicated her efforts to civic affairs and sponsored scholars and mystics, for whom she built and financed several important institutions. In the civic arena, Queen Dayfa Khatun gained popularity for removing various taxes and for her charity.  She was the patron of judges, scholars, and scientists, founding many charities to support their efforts. In addition, she established large endowments for the maintenance of her charitable foundations.


She played a major role in the architectural patronage of Aleppo, and was one of the most prominent architectural patrons in Syrian history. Her architectural patronage focused on khanqahs (Sufi convents) and mausolea, and she was responsible for the construction of the Firdaws Madrassa, an educational institution that is the largest and best known of the Ayyubid Madrassas in Aleppo. The Firdaws Madrassa was a school that specialized in Islamic Studies and Islamic law of the Shafi’i doctrine. Queen Dayfa Khatun’s patronage of the madrassa was a symbol of the Ayyubid dynasty’s power and influence in the cultural life of Aleppo.

Dayfa Khatun died in 1242 CE at the age of 59, and was buried in the citadel in Aleppo.

Sources

Yasser Tabbaa, Constructions of Power and Piety in Medieval Aleppo.
MuslimHeritage.com.

D. Fairchild Ruggles, Women, Patronage, and Self-Representation in Islamic societies.

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