How does a young slave girl become free? How does she survive kidnapping
and violent attacks? How does she become the chief adviser to a great
ruler? How does she defeat the Crusaders? And, finally, how does she
rule the whole of Egypt as its Queen? This is the extraordinary and
inspiring story of Shajara al Durr, a Muslim girl who became one of the
greatest leaders in history-a Queen of Egypt known as Tree of Pearls. It
is a story that stretches from Baghdad to Damascus to Cairo. It is the
story of a young woman who raised herself from poverty to power,
educated herself, and proved able to outwit her enemies and capture the
loyalty of an army. It is a story of romance and intrigue, and of
courage and persistence in the face of great danger. And it is true!