Zubaidah bint Ja`far ibn Mansur (Arabic: زبيدة بنت جعفر بنت المنصور) (died 26 Jumada I 216 AH / 10 July 831 AD) was a granddaughter of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur, through his son Ja'far, and cousin (through mother) of Harun al-Rashid (c.763 or 766-809), whom she later married (165 AH/781-782 AD).
The date of her birth is not known, except for the fact that she was at least a year or so younger than Harun.[1] Her father - Ja'far was a half-brother of a caliph Al-Mahdi, while her mother - Salsal, was an elder sister of Al-Khayzuran, second and most powerful wife of al-Mahdi,mother of the future caliphs Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid.
Zubaidah - is the pet name, given to the girl by her grandfather, caliph Al-Mansur. This word has a meaning "a Little Butter Ball". The real name of the girl at birth is given as Sukhainah or Amat al-'Aziz".[1] Later, Zubaidah got a kunya Umm Ja'far - Mother of Ja'far[2], which reflects her royal lineage as a granddaughter of caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur and a wife of caliph Abu Ja'far Harun al-Rashid.
Zubaidah became a mother of Muhammad al-Amin, the only Abbasid caliph, who had a double royal lineage. She also was a step mother of the elder son of Harun al-Rashid - 'Abdullah al-Ma'mun, who also became a caliph after the Civil war with his half-brother Al-Amin.
She went on to become the best known of the Abbasid princesses. She and her husband's exploits are the subjects of The Thousand and One Nights.
It is said that her palace 'sounded like a beehive' because she employed one hundred women maids who had memorized the Qur'an.[3]
She is particularly remembered for the contributions she made to the ulema and the poor, and for the series of wells, reservoirs and artificial pools that provided water for Muslim pilgrims along the route from Baghdad to Mecca and Medina. The route was re-named Darb Zubaidah (“Zubaidah’s Way”) in her honor.[4][5][6]