Unfortunately no image of Empress Gawharshad exists so instead we will put in her place this image of the Gawharshad Mosque, which she was instrumental in building. Empress Gawharshad, whose name means shining jewel, was born around the 14th century in the Temurid Empire, located in modern day Central Asia. At its height, the Empire included Uzbekistan, Iran, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, parts of India, Syria and Turkey, making it one of the largest Muslim empires in history. She married the emperor of Temurid in 1388, and thus became Empress and one of the leaders of this enormous empire. The love between these two is said to have been incredibly strong and is documents in the ballads of Herat, which singe of her husbands love for her. On her own, Empress Gawharshad played a very important role in early Timurid history, serving as a patron of the arts and the Persian language, both which flourished during this time. She led a cultural renaissance in her empire, attracting artists, architects and philosophers to the court. One of her greatest contributions to the empire was the Gawharshad mosque, which is located in the Razavi Khorasan Province in Iran. After her husband passed away, refusing to give up power, placed her favorite grandson as emperor and continued to rule the empire as the de facto leader until her death on 19th July 1457. Her legacy lives on though, in both the mosque, and buildings around the region, including the woman’s university in Kabul, Afghanistan, which carries her name.