Shajarat al Durr: From Slave to Sultana of Eg...

Albert Camus was a literary giant of the 20th century, known for his philosophy of absurdity in the human quest for the meaning of life. His personal life and North African roots helped shape his writing. In philosophy circles, many called him a prominent voice of existentialism, ...  Show more

Asmahan was a rebel in a world of expectations. From a Druze Princess to exalted singer in 1930s and 40s Egypt – she lived in extremes and did exactly what she wanted. Asmahan also moonlighted as a messenger during the Second World War and when she was killed under mysterious cir ...  Show more

Once upon a time, in ancient Egypt, a princess was born. But before her happily ever after, she had to live a challenging life of servitude, duty, and a deep belief in her own character. The long life of the woman that we discuss in this episode crosses cultural, territorial and ...  Show more

Hürrem Sultan, aka Haseki Sultan, aka Roxelana, was born around 1502 and was captured and sold into slavery as a young girl. She caught the attention of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and wound up shattering all kinds of glass ceilings for women, the enslaved, and concubines a ...  Show more

Kidnapped as a young girl and sold into slavery in a foreign land, Hurrem Sultan captured the heart of a king... and transformed the course of an empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

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 he ...  Show more