aminalhashimi

[aminalhashimi]

ofdevotiions​:

the church had always been a second home to the queen. growing up, she and her family frequented the best churches in florence and paid their respects to god. even though she was far from italy now, the queen still found solace in the church. she stood on her knees, her skirts billowing around her. whispered prayers fell from her lips until she felt a presence behind her. “you may enter. this is a house of god. i hold no power here.” she looks over her shoulder. “please, join me.” 

Amina knew she should have stayed with the ladies, knew she shouldn’t have wandered off from the familiar faces. Still, she was glad to have roamed the corridors as it was highly unlikely she would have otherwise come to be addressed by the Queen of Portugal. She kept her eyes nailed to the ground as she shook her head, unsure whether it was the right - or the wise - thing to do. She wasn’t exactly turning down the proposal, simply communicating her hesitance. “I wouldn’t wish to do so,” she eventually admitted, then hurried to correct herself. “I do not wish to intrude, Your Majesty.”

[aminalhashimi]

( aiysha hart, cis woman, she/her, 28) ** ♔ announcing AMINA AL-HASHIMI,  the LADY IN WAITING from THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE! upon closer look, they resemble AIYSHA HART. it is a miracle that SHE survived the last five years, considering they are CHARITABLE, OBSTINATE, and UNPREDICTABLE. i hope the plague has not changed them. they are NEUTRAL about working together with the other kingdoms. (ooc riina, she/her, 28, gmt+2)

hi everyone! i am riina and i am super excited to be joining you all in this group! i am a theology student, a history nerd, and in desperate need for a place where i can write and escape reality between work and university lectures. please don't hesitate to send me a messafe for plot ideas or just general chats.

okay, let's go!

NAME: amina bint hassan al-hashimi

NICKNAME(S): mina by close friends and family

AGE: twenty-eight

GENDER, PRONOUNS & SEXUALITY: cis woman, she/her & bisexual

BIRTHPLACE: mecca, the ottoman empire. modern day saudi arabia

RELIGION: islam

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: arabic, persian, ottoman turkish, french, some english

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: widowed

RECOGNISABLE FEATURES: tall & willowy figure (she’s around 5′9′’), full eyebrows, prominent nose

FATHER: hassan ibn barakat al-hashimi, the emir of mecca 

MOTHER: sarah le fèvre, the daughter of a french diplomat and statesman 

SIBLINGS: four brothers, two sisters 

OTHER FAMILY: son abdullah, seven years old, late husband zaid

• amina was born in mecca, modern day saudi arabia. her grandfather was the sharif, or the emir, of mecca at the time of her birth, nowadays the sharifate is reigned by her father. her mother - the second wife of her father – is the daughter of a french statesman and diplomat.

• here’s a bit about her home area, copied from the forbidden source, wikipedia:

the sharifate of mecca or emirate of mecca was a state, non-sovereign for much of its existence, ruled by the sharifs of mecca. when the sharifs accepted ottoman sovereignty, the sultan confirmed them in their position as rulers of the hejaz area. ottoman authority was only indirect, as the arrangement left real power with the emir. the sharif was charged with protecting the holy cities of mecca and medina and their environs and ensuring the safety of pilgrims performing the hajj.

• her childhood was spent between medina and mecca. despite her time with the ottomans, arabic remains her preferred language and generally the one she uses when communicating with her son.

• growing up, amina was blessed with education of the highest quality. she was taught to read and write arabic, persian, french, and ottoman turkish.

• was married to her paternal cousin, then a religious instructor at the ottoman court at the age of seventeen. her husband was a fair bit older than her, and they hadn’t really socialised before the marriage, but they ended up having a lot of love and respect for each other. he treated her with kindness and dignity and even discussed some politics and religious matters with her.

• her husband unfortunately passed away just five years into their life together. amina, now the mother of a young son and a lady-in-waiting, chose to remain at the court instead of returning to mecca. her son, abdullah, is now seven years old.

• while beyond content with her lot in life, amina does hope to re-marry in the near-ish future as she believes this to be her duty and the way she can bring honour to her family. at the same time, however, she’s enjoying her relative freedom and is aware her behaviour isn’t always what would be expected from a good, dutiful wife.

and for some connection ideas!

i would assume she’d be somewhat familiar with the ladies of the ottoman court. i would love for a proper, close friendship for amina who values those above most things.

amina is a big fan of writing letters and connecting with likeminded people. so, perhaps a pen pal connection of some sort.

perhaps someone familiar with her late maternal grandfather, a great french diplomat? she didn’t get to meet him but grew up hearing fascinating tales about him. in general, she would also love to learn about the french culture and the way of life as she’s not really familiar with it, having grown up with arab customs and the ways of the ottoman court.

amina adores literature, especially poetry and protofeminist works. give me a book club! or any sort of plot based on learning and exchanging ideas.

[aminalhashimi]

Language moodboard: Arabic

[aminalhashimi]

At last, she makes her choice. She turns around, drops her head, and walks toward a horizon she cannot see. After that, she does not look back anymore. She knows that if she does, she will weaken.

Khaled Hosseini, And the Mountains Echoed (via quotespile)

[aminalhashimi]

[aminalhashimi]

And I swear by God, your name has inherited a great part of all my prayers

وأقسم بالله، لقد ورث اسمك جزءًا عظيماً من جميع صلواتي

[aminalhashimi]

[aminalhashimi]

[aminalhashimi]

amina al-hashimi character aesthetics. 

[aminalhashimi]

A society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated.

Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns (via quotespile)

[aminalhashimi]

[aminalhashimi]

I eyed the men passing, a starved woman, that ache in me

pulsing, its red mouth hissing wait, wait, soon.

— Leila Chatti, from “A Religious Education,” Tunsiya/Amrikiya

[aminalhashimi]

[aminalhashimi]

Her gaze became dreamy, preoccupied, a little vacant.

Clarice Lispector, from “An Apprenticeship, or, The Book of Delights,” (via violentwavesofemotion)

[aminalhashimi]

a-kind-of-godiva‌:

“One day, a man criticized my desire for knowledge, saying that it was inappropriate for a woman to be learned, as it was so rare, to which I replied that it was even less fitting for a man to be ignorant, as it was so common.”

— Christine de Pizan, L’Avision de Christine (1405)