Jariya al-Zakiyya

Jariya al-Zakiyya was a member of the Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins during the Reconquista.

Biography

Jariya al-Zakiyya was a half-Moorish spy and cunning Assassin from Granada who was raised in the Sultan's court during the Renaissance.

A woman of great beauty, she was reputed to have been the secret child of the former Sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali and his Christian slave lover. As a result, Jariya was raised by the women of the sultan's harem.

Jariya also became the childhood friend of Muhammad XII, who would eventually become Sultan of Granada. Trusting Jariya as a loyal confidant, Muhammad asked his Assassin allies to train her as one of their own. Jariya then served as his personal spy for many years, and her blades saw much usage in that time.

When Granada fell and Muhammad XII had to surrender his kingdom to the Spanish Monarchs, he made Jariya swear on his life that she would flee Granada and join the Spanish Brotherhood to avenge him.

Behind the scenes

• If Abu al-Hasan Ali was indeed Jariya's father, the Assassin was in fact the half-sister of Muhammad XII.
  • Her backstory references Isabel de Solís, Hasan's Castilian concubine and later second wife after converting to Islam and taking the name Zoraya. While there is no evidence she had a daughter, she did have two sons by the sultan.
• "Jariya" is derived from the Arabic word jāriya (جَارِيَة‎), meaning "slave-girl, a concubine". Al- is the Arabic definitive article, designating "the". "Zakiyya" is derived from the Arabic zakii (زكي), which means "pure, chaste", but also "intelligent".

Gallery

• File:ACReb Jariya al-Zakiyya.jpg

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion