Sold as a slave to the great Abbasid Caliph, al-Khayzuran quickly rose to the very top of the pyramid. Through marriage and motherhood, she became wife of the caliph and then Queen Mother and in both instances she wielded extraordinary power. In the court at Baghdad - the very heart of the civilised world - al-Khayzuran had major influence and it is possible that during her lifetime, she was the most powerful woman in the world, determining politics from Morocco to Afghanistan. Some even say she assassinated one of her sons, and put a second on the throne. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Hugh Kennedy to discuss the extraordinary life of al-Khayzuran.
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139. Mrs Genghis Khan
137. Empress Theodora: Making Heaven on Earth
136. Empress Theodora: From the Brothel to the Throne
135. Helena: Queen of the World and Finder of the One True Cross
134. Cleopatra: The Would-Be Empress of Rome
133. Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile
132. Journey to Nalanda and the Library of Jewels
131. Buddhism Goes to China
130. India meets Rome: Making the Image of the Buddha
129. Ashoka: The Great Buddhist Emperor of India
128. The Buddha & The Golden Road
127. Inventing Curry: The British Taste for India
126. Punch & Chilli: The East India Company at the Table
125. The Origin of the Houthis
124. Saddam Hussein vs The Ayatollah
123. Hezbollah: The Party of God
122. Iran & Saudi Arabia: The Rivalry that Split the Islamic World
121. The Fall of the Shah of Shahs
120. The Iranian Revolution: The Rise of Ayatollah Khomeini
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