Subh

Subh (; circa 940 – circa 999), also known as Aurora in the Basque Country, or as Sobeya, Sobha, or Ṣabīḥa Malikat Qurṭuba ('Sabiha, Queen of Córdoba'), was the wife of Caliph al-Hakam II of Córdoba (r. 961–976), and the regent of the Caliphate of Córdoba in al-Andalus during the minority of her son, Caliph Hisham II.

Life Early life Subh was originally from Navarre by the name Aurora, who was brought as a slave – a Jāriya – to be a concubine in the harem of the Caliph in Córdoba. Her origin has alternatively been identified as Basque from the Gascony region.

Concubine In the Caliph's harem of Cordoba, Subh became the favorite concubine and then the wife of the Caliph al-Hakam. She was described as not only beautiful, but also as intelligent and analytical. She was knowledgeable in music, poetry, and Arabic literature. When she had a son with al-Hakam, she became an Umm walad and thus automatically freed at the death of her enslaver.

In the later years of his reign, the Caliph lost interest of the routine management of political affairs, and reportedly left it to Subh. Reportedly, Subh provided Almanzor with the necessary funds to give him control of the army, by which he could secure the stability necessary for her son, a minor, to be secured as Caliph with her as regent, after which she gave him much power in her government.