Featured Image above: Mausoleum of Shajar al-Durr on Al Khalifa Street, Cairo
Introduction: The Street Named for a Sultana
The Irish Consulate in Cairo is located on Shajar al-Durr Street. Looking up the meaning of the name led me to the story of a remarkable woman, one still largely absent from popular histories of Egypt.
There is little written about this extraordinary figure who rose from slavery to become the first female Muslim ruler of Egypt and the only woman to bear the title Sultan in her own right. Shajar al-Durr (c. 1220–1257), whose name translates as “Tree of Pearls,” lived a life shaped by violence, ambition, love, power, and ultimately betrayal.
A Stolen Childhood
Shajar al-Durr was reputed to be not only beautiful, but intelligent and educated even before entering the harem of Sultan As-Salih Ayyub. The harem was the women’s quarters of a royal household, home to wives, concubines, and female relatives, attended by eunuchs and closed to all other men.
Captured as a child—possibly from Armenia—during Mongol raids, Shajar al-Durr was taken to the Damascus slave market at around the age of eleven. From there, she entered royal service, either purchased directly by the palace or gifted to As-Salih. Whether Shajar al-Durr was her birth name or one given later is unknown; enslaved girls were often renamed by their owners. Either way, her early life was marked by dislocation and trauma.
Life in a Royal Harem
Life in a royal harem was complex. While it was a place of confinement, it was also one of education and privilege compared to most lives of the period. Women were fed, clothed, educated, and attended by physicians. Advancement within the harem could lead to marriage, influence, or political alliance.
The harem of Sultan al-Kamil, father of As-Salih, was no exception. Al-Kamil had several wives and concubines, including Sawda bint al-Faqih, who bore him a son, Adil II, and Ward al-Muna, a Nubian woman who became the mother of As-Salih. Rivalries between mothers and sons were common, breeding paranoia and instability within royal households.
As-Salih Ayyub: Scholar and Future Ruler
As-Salih was raised within the palace of Saladin’s Citadel in Cairo, a world of scholars, diplomats, and power. Educated, deeply religious, and intellectually curious, he differed sharply from his half-brother Adil II, who preferred indulgence and pleasure to study or governance.
By 1234, rumours spread that As-Salih was conspiring with the Mamluk army. His father, fearing rebellion, removed him from the line of succession and sent him to govern Damascus. Though obedient, As-Salih felt the sting of exile—and it was during this period that his bond with Shajar al-Durr deepened.
As he grew, so did his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Gifted with a keen intellect, he devoured books on history, philosophy, and the arts with an insatiable appetite.
Adil II: The Indulgent Half-Brother
Adil II was the half-brother of As-Salih, born to a different mother within the same harem. Unlike As-Salih, Adil II was more inclined toward a life of pleasure and indulgence. He lacked As-Salih’s thirst for learning and preferred immersion in courtly pleasures rather than manuscripts and scholarship. His activities, while not appreciated by his mother, were indulged and often concealed from his father.
In 1234, As-Salih’s harmonious relationship with his father began to fracture under mistrust. As-Salih, also a fine horseman and swordsman, frequented the Mamluk barracks, where he was respected and well liked. Whispers began to circulate that he was conspiring with Mamluk commanders.
In a dramatic decision, al-Kamil summoned As-Salih and formally excluded him from the Egyptian succession, assigning him instead the governorship of Damascus and ordering him to leave immediately.
From Concubine to Confidante
Though obedient, As-Salih felt the pain of banishment deeply. Seeking distraction, he noticed a young woman in the harem. She was beautiful, as were many others, but something about her drew him. Two people, both uprooted from their homes, found a connection.
By 1238, when As-Salih learned of his father’s death, Shajar had become his favourite concubine. He also learned that his half-brother would rule Egypt in his place. Obedience was one thing—but neither brother was willing to let matters rest.
Bound by Captivity, Strengthened by Love
As-Salih was soon betrayed, abandoned by his troops, and taken prisoner in Kerlac. Shajar al-Durr and a loyal Mamluk commander insisted on joining him in captivity.
Their relationship deepened over the following eight months. They shared stories of childhood, loss, and captivity—including As-Salih’s eight-year imprisonment by Crusaders beginning at age sixteen.
In 1240, their jailer al-Nasir Dawud shifted allegiances and released them. Meanwhile, the Mamluks in Cairo revolted against al-Adil. As-Salih returned to Cairo a triumphant Sultan, recognising the value of true allies: Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Salihi and Shajar al-Durr.
About 3 months after their return to Cairo, Shajar gave birth to a son, whom they named Al-Khalil. However, their joy was short-lived, as the baby died only three months later.
Consolidating Power in Cairo
The following nine years passed swiftly, with As-Salih’s sovereignty being challenged from several sides, not least by his uncle, who had taken Damascus and was conspiring with one sect of Cairo’s Emirs to depose As-Salih and take over the throne of Egypt. As-Salih built up his personal Mamluk army to over 2000 men and formed them into two divisions, one he stationed on Rawda Island on the Nile, where he also built a new palace, and the second smaller unit became his personal bodyguard.
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When As-Salih left Cairo on campaigns, he made it clear that Shajar al-Durr, now his wife and closest advisor, would be in control of all matters of the harem, the palace, and the state This decision stirred whispers and discontent among not only the harem, where an older wife, mother to As-Salih’s only surviving heir, Turanshah, resided, but further afield among the lesser Ayyubid rulers.
Continue reading in Part 2: The 7th Crusade and a Sultan’s Secret
Last updated on 21/12/2025 by Marie Vaughan