Taef El-Azhari is Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern History at the University of Helwan, Egypt. He received his doctorate in Middle Eastern history from the University of Manchester. His interests, both in research and teaching, focus principally on Turkmen-Kurdish social-political history and the Crusades. His most recent books include 'Zengi and the Muslim Response to the Crusades' and 'The Saljuqs of Syria during the Crusades'.

• IntroductionThe Umayyad Empire and the Establishment of a Royal Court, 661–750Princesses, Concubines and Qahramanat under the Abbasids: Gender and Politics, 749–1055 The Kingdom of Eunuchs under the Abbasids Fatimid Royal Women and Royal Concubines in Politics: the Rise of the First Queens of Islam The Fatimid Eunuchs and Their Sphere The Seljuqs from Syria to Iran: the Age of Khatuns and Atabegs The Ayyubids: Their Two Queens and Their Powerful Castrated Atabegs 　Appendix 1: the Abbasid Caliphs from 749 to the Coming of the Seljuqs in 1055Appendix 2: the Fatimid Caliphs, North Africa and Egypt Appendix 3: DynastiesGlossary Bibliography Index