Sayyida Hurra: The Conceptual Representation of Femininity, Nobility, Freedom, and Authority in Islamic History

Authors : Nihal Şahin Utku

Pages : 291-328

Doi:10.21798//kadem.2025.185

View : 180 | Download : 524

Publication Date : 2025-12-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This article explores the conceptual, historical, and sociopolitical dimensions of the title Sayyida Hurra through the lives of two exceptional women in Islamic history: Queen Arwa bint Ahmad (d. 532/1138) of the Sulayhid dynasty in Yemen and Aisha bint Ali (d. 970/1562), the ruler of Tétouan in Morocco. Rather than offering a purely biographical account, the study analyzes these figures within the social, cultural, and sectarian dynamics that shaped their political legitimacy. It examines the historical conditions under which women gained visibility in public and political spheres, with a particular focus on widowed, noble women who possessed a basis of social legitimacy. The title Hurra is interpreted not merely as a marker of personal liberty but possibly as an expression of nobility, competence, and representative authority. The article also critically investigates how these figures have been represented in historiography. Ultimately, this study draws attention to ideological biases in historical writing about women and suggests that the concept be considered through its multilayered meanings in its specific historical contexts, rather than the connotations attached to it in modern times.
Keywords : Seyyide hürre, Kadın liderliği, Siyasal meşruiyet, Tarih yazımı, Ervâ bint Ahmed, Âişe bint Ali

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