Banafsha bint Abdullah al-Rumiyyah

Banafsha bint Abdullah al-Rumiyyah (died 1201) was a slave consort of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustadi (r. 1170–1180).
She was a slave bought to the Abbasid harem of the Caliph. Her origin is termed to have been "Roman" or "Rumiyya", that is to say of Greek origin from the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople. As was the custom she was compelled to convert to Islam and was given a new name.
Banafsha are described as loving and merciful. She became a favorite of the Caliph, who manumitted her and married her. He had her a personal palace built for her personal use in Baghdad.
She did not give birth to a son, but she successfully supported her stepson Al-Nasir to the succession before his brother prince Hashem. Because of this, she was favored by Al-Nasir when he became Caliph in 1180.
It was impossible for her to leave the harem, but she became known for her donations and charitable projects, which was a common method for the secluded harem wives of the Caliphs to create a public name for themselwes.
She is known as the founder of the Hanbali Banafsha School in Baghdad (1174). She also built a bridge between the Karkh and Al-Rusafa disctrics in Baghdad.