3 - Sayyida Hurra Queen Arwa of Yemen: “The Little Queen of Sheba”

Summary

A member of the Isma’ili Sulayhid dynasty (eleventh–twelfth century) in Yemen, Sayyida Hurra Queen Arwa was a unique Muslim woman leader: she held both political and spiritual authority simultaneously. She governed Yemen first as a queen consort in collaboration with her husband, then as regent of her son, and finally as a sovereign in her own right until her death in 1138. She balanced her allegiance to the Fatimid Isma’ili imam-caliphs in Cairo with a degree of administrative independence and autonomy in Yemen. She demonstrated self-confidence and acted decisively to preserve her throne, whether against her state’s enemies or insubordinate family members. Faced with the momentous prospect of a contested succession to the Fatimid caliphate in Cairo, she established the position of the supreme missionary, which safeguarded the continuity of the Tayyibi Isma?ili community. She managed to keep the powerful and competitive Yemeni tribal leaders in check, while delivering justice and stability to her people. Not only was the alleged Prophetic hadith not invoked in opposition to her leadership, the imam-caliph al-Mustansir elevated the queen as a religious leader, a hujja. Did Yemen suffer under her sovereignty? Evidently not! She was “immensely popular” and people called her “their Mistress.”