حُبُّ المَمْلُوكِ المُحَرَّمُ في الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّة

The Mamluk's Forbidden Love of Alexandria

الفَصْلُ الأَوَّل: العَبْدُ المُحَارِب

Chapter One: The Slave Warrior

كَانَ قَايْتُبَايُ مِنْ مَمَالِيكِ السُّلْطَانِ، اشْتُرِيَ مِنْ بِلَادِ الشَّرْكَسِ صَغِيرًا وَرُبِّيَ عَلَى الفُرُوسِيَّةِ وَالقِتَال. صَارَ فِي الثَّلَاثِينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ أَمِيرًا عَلَى الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ، يَمْلِكُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا قَلْبَه.

Qaytbay was one of the Sultan's Mamluks, bought from Circassian lands as a child and raised in horsemanship and combat. By thirty, he had become an emir of Alexandria, possessing everything except his heart.

كَانَ طَوِيلًا كَالرُّمْحِ، جَسَدُهُ مَنْحُوتٌ مِنَ الحَرْبِ وَالتَّدْرِيب. وَجْهُهُ جَمِيلٌ وَقَاسٍ، وَعَيْنَاهُ زَرْقَاوَانِ كَالبَحْرِ الَّذِي تُطِلُّ عَلَيْهِ الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّة. كَانَ النِّسَاءُ يَسْقُطْنَ عِنْدَ قَدَمَيْهِ، لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَشْعُرْ بِشَيْء.

He was tall as a spear, his body carved from war and training. His face was beautiful and cruel, his eyes blue as the sea that Alexandria overlooked. Women fell at his feet, but he felt nothing.

الفَصْلُ الثَّاني: الأَرْمَلَةُ اليُونَانِيَّة

Chapter Two: The Greek Widow

جَاءَتْ إِلَيْهِ امْرَأَةٌ يُونَانِيَّةٌ تُدْعَى هِيلِينَا، أَرْمَلَةُ تَاجِرٍ مَاتَ مَدِينًا. طَلَبَتْ مُهْلَةً لِسَدَادِ الدَّيْن. كَانَتْ فِي الأَرْبَعِينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهَا، جَسَدُهَا أَبْيَضُ وَمُمْتَلِئٌ كَتِمْثَالٍ مِنْ رُخَامٍ يُونَانِيّ. شَعْرُهَا كَسْتَنَائِيٌّ مَخْلُوطٌ بِالفِضَّةِ، وَعَيْنَاهَا خَضْرَاوَانِ كَزَيْتُونِ بِلَادِهَا.

A Greek woman came to him called Helena, the widow of a merchant who had died in debt. She requested time to repay. She was forty years old, her body white and full as a statue of Greek marble. Her hair was chestnut mixed with silver, her eyes green as her homeland's olives.

"لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أُعْطِيَكِ مُهْلَة،" قَالَ قَايْتُبَاي.

"I cannot give you time," said Qaytbay.

"إِذَنْ خُذْ مَا تَشَاء،" قَالَتْ وَهِيَ تَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ بِعَيْنَيْنِ لَا تَعْرِفَانِ الخَوْف. "لَكِنَّكَ لَنْ تَأْخُذَ كَرَامَتِي."

"Then take what you will," she said, looking at him with fearless eyes. "But you will not take my dignity."

شَعَرَ قَايْتُبَايُ لِأَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ بِشَيْءٍ فِي صَدْرِه. هَذِهِ المَرْأَةُ لَا تَخَافُه.

For the first time, Qaytbay felt something in his chest. This woman did not fear him.

الفَصْلُ الثَّالِث: زِيَارَاتٌ لَيْلِيَّة

Chapter Three: Nightly Visits

بَدَأَ يَزُورُهَا فِي بَيْتِهَا الصَّغِيرِ قُرْبَ المِينَاء. كَانَ يَأْتِي مُتَخَفِّيًا، لِأَنَّ أَمِيرًا مَمْلُوكِيًّا لَا يَجُوزُ لَهُ أَنْ يُحِبَّ امْرَأَةً غَيْرَ مُسْلِمَة.

He began visiting her in her small house near the port. He came in disguise, for a Mamluk emir was not permitted to love a non-Muslim woman.

"لِمَاذَا تَأْتِي؟" سَأَلَتْهُ.

"Why do you come?" she asked him.

"لِأَنَّكِ أَوَّلُ مَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَيَّ كَرَجُل، لَا كَعَبْدٍ أَوْ سَيِّد."

"Because you are the first to look at me as a man, not as a slave or master."

عَلَّمَتْهُ هِيلِينَا اليُونَانِيَّةَ، وَعَلَّمَهَا العَرَبِيَّة. وَبَيْنَ الكَلِمَاتِ الغَرِيبَةِ، تَعَلَّمَا لُغَةَ الجَسَد.

Helena taught him Greek, and he taught her Arabic. And between the foreign words, they learned the language of the body.

الفَصْلُ الرَّابِع: التَّحَرُّر

Chapter Four: Liberation

فِي لَيْلَةٍ عَاصِفَةٍ، جَاءَ قَايْتُبَايُ وَهُوَ يَرْتَجِف. "السُّلْطَانُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُزَوِّجَنِي ابْنَتَه. إِذَا رَفَضْتُ، أَمُوت."

On a stormy night, Qaytbay came trembling. "The Sultan wants to marry me to his daughter. If I refuse, I die."

أَخَذَتْهُ هِيلِينَا بَيْنَ ذِرَاعَيْهَا، وَجَسَدُهَا الدَّافِئُ المُكْتَنِزُ يَحْتَوِيهِ كَبَحْرٍ يَحْتَوِي سَفِينَة. "اللَّيْلَةُ لَنَا،" قَالَتْ. "غَدًا لِلْمُلُوك."

Helena took him in her arms, her warm, full body containing him like a sea contains a ship. "Tonight is ours," she said. "Tomorrow is for kings."

ضَاجَعَهَا كَمَا لَمْ يُضَاجِعْ أَحَدًا مِنْ قَبْل: بِحُبٍّ حَقِيقِيٍّ لَا بِرَغْبَةٍ فَارِغَة. كَانَ جَسَدُهَا مَمْلَكَةً أَعْظَمَ مِنْ مَمْلَكَةِ السُّلْطَان، وَكَانَ هُوَ فِيهَا حُرًّا لِأَوَّلِ مَرَّة.

He took her as he had never taken anyone: with true love, not empty desire. Her body was a kingdom greater than the Sultan's kingdom, and in it he was free for the first time.

"أَنْتِ حُرِّيَّتِي،" قَالَ وَهُوَ بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهَا الدَّافِئَتَيْن.

"You are my freedom," he said between her warm thighs.

"وَأَنْتَ قَلْبِي،" أَجَابَتْ.

"And you are my heart," she answered.

الفَصْلُ الخَامِس: الاخْتِيَار

Chapter Five: The Choice

عَادَ قَايْتُبَايُ إِلَى السُّلْطَانِ وَرَفَضَ الزَّوَاج. تَوَقَّعَ المَوْت. لَكِنَّ السُّلْطَانَ ضَحِكَ: "أَعْرِفُ عَنْ يُونَانِيَّتِكَ. مَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُحِبَّ، يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَحْكُم. أُعْفِيكَ مِنَ الزَّوَاج، بِشَرْطِ أَنْ تُسْلِمَ امْرَأَتُكَ."

Qaytbay returned to the Sultan and refused the marriage. He expected death. But the Sultan laughed: "I know about your Greek woman. He who can love, can rule. I excuse you from marriage, on condition your woman converts."

أَسْلَمَتْ هِيلِينَا وَسُمِّيَتْ "حُرِّيَّة"، تَكْرِيمًا لِمَا أَعْطَتْهُ لِقَايْتُبَاي.

Helena converted and was named "Hurriyya" (Freedom), honoring what she gave Qaytbay.

الخَاتِمَة

Epilogue

صَارَ قَايْتُبَايُ سُلْطَانًا بَعْدَ سَنَوَاتٍ، وَحُرِّيَّةُ زَوْجَتُهُ وَأُمُّ أَبْنَائِهِ. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّهُ بَنَى لَهَا قَلْعَةً عَلَى البَحْرِ فِي الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ، لَا تَزَالُ قَائِمَةً حَتَّى اليَوْم.

Qaytbay became Sultan years later, with Hurriyya as his wife and mother of his children. It is said he built her a fortress by the sea in Alexandria, still standing to this day.