How a concubine became the ruler of Egypt - Abdallah Ewis

Translator: Reno Kanti Riananda Reviewer: Maria Nainggolan

The year is 1249 CE.

Saat itu tahun 1429 Masehi.

The French King Louis IX is sailing the Nile,

Raja Prancis Louis IX mengarungi sungai Nil,

threatening to overthrow the Egyptian sultan and capture Egypt.

mengancam untuk menggulingkan sultan Mesir dan menguasai negara tersebut.

Egypt’s army commanders ask the sultan’s wife, Shajar Al-Durr,

Komandan laskar Mesir meminta istri sultan, Shajar Al-Durr,

to report this news to the sultan, who has been injured in battle.

untuk memberitahu sultan, yang tengah cedera akibat bertempur.

But they don’t know the truth:

Namun, mereka tak tahu yang sebenarnya:

the sultan is already dead,

sultan telah meninggal,

and Shajar Al-Durr is secretly ruling in his stead.

dan Shajar Al-Durr diam-diam memimpin menggantikannya.

Born around 1220 CE, Shajar Al-Durr, whose name means “tree of pearls,”

Lahir tahun 1220 M, Shajar Al-Durr, nama yang memiliki arti “pohon mutiara”,

was sold into slavery.

dijual sebagai budak.

This was a common fate for Christian children from Turkic countries like her.

Nasib yang umum bagi anak Nasrani di negara berbahasa Turki seperti dirinya.

Enslaved boys, or mamaleek, were trained to be elite military personnel

Anak laki-laki yand diperbudak, mamaleek, dilatih menjadi tentara militer

serving the Egyptian Sultanate,

bagi kesultanan Mesir,

while enslaved girls were forced to become concubines.

sementara anak perempuan dipaksa menjadi selir.

As a teenager, Shajar Al-Durr became a concubine

Saat remaja, Shajar Al-Durr menjadi selir

to the son of the Egyptian sultan, As-Salih Ayyub.

bagi putra sultan Mesir, As-Salih Ayyub.

They had a son named Khalil who died in infancy,

Mereka memiliki putra, Khalil, yang meninggal saat bayi.

and As-Salih freed her so he could court her formally.

As-Salih membebaskan Shajar Al-Durr agar dapat dinikahi secara formal.

As-Salih became sultan, and he and Shajar Al-Durr married.

As-Salih menjadi sultan, dan mereka pun menikah.

When As-Salih died in the middle of the conflict with the crusaders,

Saat As-Salih meninggal dalam pertempuran dengan tentara perang salib,

Shajar Al-Durr knew King Louis IX had already succeeded

Shajar Al-Durr tahu bahwa Raja Louis IX telah berhasil

in conquering important Egyptian port cities.

menguasai kota pelabuhan penting Mesir.

Fearing that her husband’s death would threaten the army’s morale,

Khawatir bahwa kematian suaminya mengancam moral para tentara,

she decided to keep it a secret.

ia memutuskan untuk merahasiakannya.

To conceal his death, she had food brought to his tent,

Untuk menutupi kematian suaminya, ia membawakan makanan ke tendanya,

and forged his signature on decrees to govern the sultanate

dan memalsukan tanda tangan untuk memimpin kesultanan

and advise military commanders.

dan memberi anjuran kepada para komandan militer.

When the crusaders attacked the Egyptian city of Al-Mansurah,

Saat tentara perang salib menyerang kota Al-Mansurah di Mesir,

Egyptian soldiers ambushed the crusaders and took the French king hostage.

tentara Mesir menyergap mereka dan menyandera raja Prancis.

Meanwhile, the truth about the sultan’s death began to leak.

Sementara itu, kabar wafatnya Sultan mulai menyebar.

Shajar Al-Durr invited her late husband’s son with another woman

Shajar Al-Durr mengundang putra almarhum suaminya dari wanita lain

to claim the title of sultan.

untuk menjadi sultan.

At first, both she and her mamaleek advisers supported

Awalnya, Shajar Al-Durr dan penasihatnya, seorang mamaleek,

mendukung klaim putra tirinya untuk menjadi sultan.

her stepson’s claim to the throne.

But then he began threatening to exile her and kill the mamaleek,

Namun, putranya mulai mengancam untuk mengasingkannya

dan membunuh sang mamaleek,

making wild accusations about them.

menuduh mereka berbuat tak senonoh.

The mamaleek had served Shajar Al-Durr’s husband before her,

Sang mamaleek sebelumnya melayani suami Shajar Al-Durr,

dan menyaksikan kemampuan Shajar Al-Durr dalam memimpin.

and seen her capable rule so far.

They thought she would make a better ruler than the unpredictable prince,

Mereka merasa Shajar Al-Durr lebih mampu daripada sang pangeran,

and conspired with her to assassinate him.

dan mereka berkonspirasi untuk membunuh sang pangeran.

In May of 1250, with the support of the mamaleek military,

Bulan Mei tahun 1250 M, dengan dukungan militer sang mamaleek,

Shajar Al-Durr was inaugurated as Sultana of Egypt.

Shajar Al-Durr dinobatkan sebagai Sultan Mesir.

Days later, she negotiated the ransom of the French king and his army

Beberapa hari kemudian, ia menegosiasikan tebusan atas raja Prancis dan tentaranya

in exchange for an enormous sum of money

dengan sejumlah besar uang

and the surrender of the occupied port city.

dan pengembalian kota pelabuhan.

In spite of her success leading Egypt through this military crisis,

Terlepas dari kesuksesannya memimpin Mesir selama krisis militer tersebut,

she had to work to cement her credibility in the eyes of the public.

ia harus bekerja keras membentuk kredibilitasnya di mata publik.

As a formerly enslaved person,

Sebagai mantan budak,

her rise to power wasn’t linked to royal ancestry,

kekuasaannya tidak diperoleh melalui garis keturunan kerajaan.

while as a woman, societal restrictions prevented her

Sebagai seorang wanita, pembatasan sosial menyebabkan dirinya

from participating in many of the events a sultan would typically attend.

tak dapat berpartisipasi dalam acara yang biasanya dihadiri seorang sultan.

To increase her visibility and solidify her claim to the throne,

Demi meningkatkan pengakuan dan memperkuat kekuasaannya,

she constructed a public mausoleum for her husband,

ia membangun mausoleum untuk suaminya,

issued the currency under her name, and signed decrees as Walidat Khalil,

menerbitkan mata uang menggunakan namanya, dan membubuhkan tandatangan

sebagai Walidat Khalil, atau ibu dari Khalil.

the mother of Khalil.

Unfortunately, the sultanate’s premier religious authority,

Sayangnya, otoritas keagamaan kesultanan yang utama,

the caliph of Baghdad, still objected to having a woman rule.

khalifah Baghdad, keberatan jika seorang wanita memimpin.

Under threat of revolt,

Di bawah ancaman revolusi,

Shajar Al-Durr married on the condition

Shajar Al-Durr menikah dengan syarat

that her new husband must divorce his first wife.

suami barunya harus menceraikan istri pertamanya.

Shajar Al-Durr intended to maintain her status as supreme ruler.

Shajar Al-Durr bermaksud mempertahankan statusnya sebagai penguasa tertinggi.

Her new husband threatened to undermine her rule

Suami barunya mengancam kekuasaannya

by arranging a political marriage between himself and a princess from Mosul.

dengan melangsungkan pernikahan politik antara dirinya dan putri dari Mosul.

So Shajar Al-Durr ordered his assassination.

Shajar Al-Durr memerintahkan untuk membunuhnya.

The news reached his first wife,

Kabar ini sampai ke istri pertama sang suami,

who successfully plotted to murder the Sultana.

yang lantas mendalangi pembunuhan Shajar Al-Durr.

Shajar Al-Durr’s killers threw her body from the Cairo citadel.

Tubuh Shajar Al-Durr dibuang dari benteng Mesir.

Shajar Al-Durr left no personal writings, but her legacy was lasting.

Shajar Al-Durr tak meninggalkan tulisan pribadi, tetapi peninggalannya abadi.

Before her death, she built her own mausoleum

Sebelum kematiannya, ia membangun mausoleum untuk dirinya sendiri

with a madrasa, garden, public shower, and palace,

yang dilengkapi dengan sekolah, taman, pemandian umum, dan istana,

decorated with her signature tree of pearls

yang dihias pohon mutiara yang khas,

to remind Egyptians who made it.

untuk mengingatkan bangsa Mesir tentang orang yang membangunnya.