An analytical study of Ibn Wāṣil’s Mufarrij al-Kurūb fī Akhbār Banī Ayyūb (The Dissipater of Anxieties in the Report of the Ayyubids) The Political Historiography of Women in the late Ayyubid Dynasty: 589-648/1193-1250

Abstract

Women’s history, especially in the political arena, requires fuller treatment by research in historiography. Recent studies have largely demonstrated the extent of the discrepancy in historical narratives about the political role of women. It is a common but oversimplified explanation to state that the under-reporting of women as actors on the political stage has been due to the fact that the majority of historians and historiographers were men. Close reading of the historical text can reveal, not only insights about political activities of women, but evidence that certain male historians were paying attention to the political actions of women. Studies that analyse historical text using primary sources are crucial because they make the contents of these texts accessible to a wider audience and thus add value to the existing literature. This study is an analysis of Ibn Wāṣil’s Mufarrij al-kurūb fī akhbār Banī Ayyūb, in particular, of his views regarding the political roles of Ayyubid women in the late Ayyubid dynasty. Chapter One explores the general features of Islamic historiography during the Ayyubid dynasty. Chapter Two deals with Ibn Wāṣil himself: in order to uncover the factors that had impact on him when he reported his text, it explores his life, personality, and the environment in which he lived and worked. Chapter Three examines this historian’s attitude toward the jawārī and to the queenship system represented by Shajar al-Durr. Chapter Four examines his assessment of the regency system represented by the Ayyubid princesses, Ḍayfa Khātūn and Ghāzīyya Khātūn. The concluding chapter discusses the research results.