Muslim women generously provided patronage for the interior enhancement of religious buildings; in the supply of elegant Qur’ans and other high-quality
mosque furnishings. One of the most admirable is the intricate, inlaid-teak prayer niche for the shrine of Sayyida Ruqayya, the patron of which was the wife of the Fatimid
caliph, al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah in 527 / 1133. There are a number of Qur’anic manuscripts commissioned by Zirid princesses that were intended for use in the Great
Mosque of Kairouan, among them Umm Milal’s
Qur’an and that of Umm al-‘Ilu, the sister of the Zirid prince al-Mu‘izz
ibn Badis. A third manuscript was presented by Fatima, governess to the prince Badis
Bin al-Mansur.