Forsan el-Sharq dance group depicts Shajaret al-Durr life

CAIRO - 19 June 2019: “Forsan al-Sharq” (Eastern Knights) dance group decided to present the life of Shajaret al-Durr since she was enslaved by Sultan Salih Najmuddin Ayoub in a dance performance.

The play then moves on to portray her as she took the throne of Egypt for 80 days, with the pledge of the Mamluks and state dignitaries after the death of Sultan Saleh Ayoub.

Shajaret al-Durr then relinquished the throne to her husband Al Mu'izz Aybak Turkoman.

She also played an important historical role during the seventh crusade against Egypt and during the Battle of Mansoura.

The theatrical performance is the production of the Cairo Opera House and will stage on the Gomohorya Theater on June 27 and 28.

The play is prepared, designed and directed by Essam Ezzat.

In the political arena, Shajaret al-Durr played a crucial role after the demise of her first husband during the Seventh Crusade against Egypt (1249–1250).

Al-Durr became the sultana of Egypt on May 2, 1250, marking the end of the Ayyubid reign and the start of the Mamluk era.

There are several claims about the ethnic origins of Shajaret al-Durr. Numerous Muslim historians believed that she was Circassian, Bedouin, Greek or Turkish, while others believed that she was of Armenian origin.