Hydraulic Power and Female Authority: Decoding the Zubaida Canal as a Monument of Abbasid Female Agency

Razikha Fyzal

Water management has long stood as a measure of civilisation and statecraft in the Arab world, tracing lineage from ancient hydraulic systems to the monumental public works; situated within this tradition is the 8-9th century Zubaida Canal, which transformed the pilgrimage route to Mecca. The existing literature on the Zubiada Canal views the canal itself as a purely technical or logistical feat, significant for its engineering prowess and its role in facilitating the pilgrimage to Mecca. However, the canal is much more than an engineering marvel, i.e., the role and vision of Queen Zubaida herself. She has often viewed through the lens of relational identities as the wife of Caliph Harun al-Rashid rather than as a significant administrator in her own right. This paper addresses this gap by situating the canal as a social and political intervention shaped by elite female authority within the Abbasid world. Integrating historical chronicles, travelogues, and fieldwork around the canal’s remains, this research bridges text-based and lived experiences. Emphasis is placed on the canal’s administration, financing, and maintenance, as well as the local discourse’s remembrance of Zubaida today. The canal's physical configuration, material durability, and intentional location demonstrate long-term administrative planning beyond symbolic patronage. Ultimately, the paper contends that Queen Zubaida’s involvement represents political power exercised through infrastructure, challenging assumptions about women’s absence from governance in medieval Islamic history.