The Contributions of Seljuk Women to the Construction of Schools (Madāris) in Damascus, Baghdad, and al-Anatolia (448 AH /1056 CE – 651 AH /1253 CE)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35516/jjha.v20i1.3625Keywords:
Seljuks, Khatun, Damascus, Baghdad, Anatolia, Abbasid CaliphateAbstract
Islamic civilization flourished culturally and scientifically during the Seljuk period, and Seljuk women played an important role in this flourishing. Although views on Seljuk women vary among some scholars of both Islamic and modern periods, their contributions cannot be denied, particularly in the patronage of science and scholars and the establishment of schools (madāris). The schools established by Seljuk women in Damascus, Baghdad, and Anatolia played a pivotal role in serving Islam, though in different ways and styles suited to the nature of the region and the surrounding political and social conditions. In Damascus and Baghdad, the primary focus of these schools was on cultivating an elite class of scholars and thinkers who contributed to supporting the state and Sunni religious authority, within the context of the ongoing conflict with the Shi‘ite Fatimid state, which had made Al-Azhar in Egypt its main center for spreading its ideology and strengthening its influence in the Islamic world. The Anatolian madrasas adopted a different approach that reflected the nature of the region and its challenges; the primary focus was on integrating local communities under Seljuk rule and consolidating the state’s presence in the newly conquered territories, which had previously been under Byzantine rule. The Anatolian schools helped integrate diverse peoples within the framework of the Islamic state, which led to the stabilization of Seljuk rule in those regions. In doing so, they served as a cultural bridge for transmitting and establishing Islamic culture in new environments, enabling them to play a strategic role in spreading Islam and strengthening the Seljuk state’s position in the Islamic world. This study explores how Seljuk women established themselves as patrons of knowledge and culture, making them exemplary figures in the promotion of education and scholarship. Their efforts left behind a rich and enduring intellectual and cultural legacy.
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