Arwa al-Sulayhi

Who was Arwa al-Sulayhi?

Arwa al-Sulayhi was the long-reigning ruler of Yemen, firstly through her first two husbands and then as sole ruler, from 1067 until her death in 1138. She was the greatest of the rulers of the Sulayhid Dynasty and was also the first woman to be accorded the prestigious title of hujja in Ismāʿīlī branch of Shi'a Islam, signifying her as the closest living image of God's will in her lifetime. She is popularly referred to as Sayyida Hurra, al-Malika al-Hurra and the Little Queen of Sheba.