Şemsiruhsar Hatun


Şemsiruhsar Hatun was a concubine of Sultan Murad III of the Ottoman Empire.

Etymology

When she entered court service she was given a Turkish and Persian name Şemsiruhsar which means "sun-faced" or "cheeks like sun". In Persian Şems means "Sun" and Ruhsar means cheeks or face. Here the word "sun" is used as an allegorist for the cheeks or face.

Biography

Nothing is known of her family background. The Ottoman inscription describes her as Hātun binti Abd-ül-Gaffar.
Although relatively obscure, the concubines of non-Haseki rank were not completely deprived of status and power and enjoyed the prerogatives of a member of the royal family, as exemplified by the fact that Şemsiruhsar Hatun, mother of a daughter, is known to have created an endowment for the recitation of the Holy Qur'an in the mosque of the Prophet in Medina.
Deed of trust dated from 1022AH/1613CE gives information about Şemsiruhsar Hatun's endowment:

Issue