Sayyida al Hurra

Who is Sayyida al Hurra?

Sayyida al Hurra, full name Sayyida al-Hurra ibn Banu Rashid al-Mandri al-Wattasi Hakima Tatwan, was a queen of Tétouan in 1515-1542 and a pirate queen in the early 16th century. She is considered to be "one of the most important female figures of the Islamic West in the modern age".

Allied with the Turkish corsair Barbarossa of Algiers, al Hurra controlled the western Mediterranean Sea while Barbarossa controlled the eastern. She was also prefect of Tétouan. In 1515 she became the last person in Islamic history to legitimately hold the title of al Hurra following the death of her husband, who ruled Tétouan. She later married the King of Morocco, Ahmed al-Wattasi, but refused to leave Tétouan to do so. This marriage marks the only time in Moroccan history a King married away from the capital, Fez.

The title sayyida al Hurra means "noble lady who is free and independent; the woman sovereign who bows to no superior authority." Hakima Tatwan means governor of Tétouan.