Melissa Addey Knihy

In her time there was none such as she - none more beautiful or intelligent or witty ... she was married to Yusuf, who built Marrakech for her... 12th-century text Kitab al-Istibsar 11th century, North Africa. Zaynab is the famous queen consort of Yusuf bin Tashfin, leader of the Moorish Almoravid army, which defeated El Cid, conquering all of North Africa and most of Spain. But her life is full of unanswered questions. She claimed she would marry the man who would rule all of North Africa, but it took four marriages before this prophecy came true. She was Yusuf’s right hand, an undisputed beauty and gave him many children, yet Yusuf chose as his heir the son of a Christian slave girl. Some said she spoke with djinns and spirits of the air. Having met her as a child in The Cup and as a formidable rival in A String of Silver Beads, in None Such as She Zaynab has her own story to tell.