Taj Safariyya Khatun

Taj al-Din Safariyya or Safariyya Khatun, known as Taj al-Din Khatun (d. 1121 or 1122), was a concubine of Malik-Shah I, the third ruler of the Great Seljuk Empire, and the mother of Sultan Muhammad Tapar and Sultan Ahmad Sanjar.

Life Taj al-Din Safariyya Khatun was of concubine origin and of Kipchak Turkic descent. Another rendering of her name is Bushali. Her marriage to the Seljuk sultan Malik-Shah I was the first sultan-concubine marriage among the Seljuks. Although earlier sultans had relationships with concubines, none had married a concubine. Sultan Malik-Shah I consulted Taj al-Din Safariyya Khatun on certain matters and often implemented her sound decisions. During the Syrian campaign, Malik-Shah I took Taj al-Din Safariyya Khatun with him despite her being pregnant, and Ahmad Sanjar was born in the Sinjar region during this campaign. According to the sources, Taj al-Din Safariyya Khatun was greatly loved by Sultan Malik-Shah.

Sultan Malik-Shah died in 1092. Following her husband's death, Taj al-Din Safariyya Khatun supported her sons Muhammad Tapar and Ahmad Sanjar. As she had great influence over her sons, she was influential in the administration of the territories placed under their rule. Her son, Sultan Ahmad Sanjar, performed her funeral prayer. According to Ibn al-Athir, Mahmud ibn Muhammad Tapar organized a mourning ceremony in Baghdad upon the death of his grandmother that was unprecedented in the city up to that time.

Children As the concubine of Malik-Shah I, Taj al-Din Khātūn al-Safarriyya had five children; three sons and two daughters. One of her sons died in childhood, while her two surviving sons were the later sultans Muhammad I Tapar and Ahmad Sanjar. Her daughter was Ismah Khatun, who later married the 28th Abbasid caliph, Al-Mustazhir (r. 1094–1118).

Muhammad I Tapar Ahmad Sanjar Ismah Khatun (married the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustazhir. After the caliph's death, she married Arslan-Shah, a grandson of Kavurd from the Seljuk dynasty.) Sitara Khatun (married Gershasb of the Kakuyid dynasty.) An unnamed son who died at a young age.

In popular culture Pınar Töre portrayed Başulu Hatun in the Turkish historical series Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu, which aired on TRT 1.