Muslim Women as Patrons
‘Muslim women generously provided patronage for the interior enhancement of religious buildings.’
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.
Page from a Qur'an

Hegira 410 / AD 1020
Fatimid-Zirid
Museum of Islamic Art
Raqqada, Kairouan, Tunisia
Fatima, governess to the Zirid prince Badis, endowed this Qur'an to the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Interestingly it was compiled under the supervision of another woman, 'Dura al-Katiba' – 'Dura the lady-scribe'.