Qabiha

"Our prodigal scion... has arrived. Yet he knows not what he is. Have you not wondered at your future? You who see more, who know more..."

―Qabiha to Basim Ibn Ishaq, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Qabiha (died 860s), also known as Al-Bahamut (English: The Leviathan), was a concubine of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil. She was also the Ra's Al-Af'a (English: Head of the Snake) of the Order of the Ancients based in Baghdad, directing its members from the safety of the Caliphate's court.

A slave of Greek origin, Qabiha entered the Abbasid harem and became a concubine of Jaʽfar ibn Muhammad, who was crowned caliph in 847 and reigned as Al-Mutawakkil. With him, she had a son named Abu' Abdallah. Unbeknownst to her spouse and son, Qabiha operated as the leader of the Order of the Ancients in the Caliphate and used her influence to take control of the Abbasid court, effectively making the Abbasid caliphs, including Al-Mutawakkil, the Order's puppets.

However, Qabiha's secret rule over the Caliphate was opposed by the Hidden Ones, who eliminated most of her agents in Baghdad. Aware of the existence of an Isu temple underneath the Hidden Ones' stronghold of Alamut, Qabiha later sought to access the site and uncover its secrets. After deducing Basim Ibn Ishaq's true nature as a reborn Isu, which Basim himself was unaware of at the time, Qabiha attempted to sway him to her side but was cut down by the Master Assassin Roshan before she could succeed.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Born a slave in the Abbasid Caliphate's court, Qabiha rose from a nameless concubine to the rank of "Umm Walad," mother of the caliph's son. The most favored concubine of Al-Mutawakkil, she birthed him a son, Abu' Abdallah, and found herself leading the Harem in Baghdad.^[1]

Away from the public's eyes, Qabiha joined the Order of the Ancients and rose to the rank of Ra's Al-Af'a, also known as the Head of the Snake. Leading the Order in the Caliphate, she and her fellow Order members sought to control Baghdad and discover all the ancient Isu artifacts buried around the city.^[2]

Meeting in Anbar[]

ACMirage The Master Thief of Anbar 34 — Qabiha and her Order brethren meeting Al-Mutawakkil

On 11 December 861, a disguised Qabiha, along with her fellow Order members Mas'ood Al-Ya'qoob, Fazil Fahim al-Kemsa, Ning, and Wasif al-Turki, arrived at the Winter Palace in Anbar to meet with Al-Mutawakkil, who had come into possession of a chest containing a Memory Seal. While Wasif verified the artifact's authenticity and briefly spoke with the caliph, Qabiha kept quiet and inspected the chest's contents herself. Asserting that the caliph would keep the artifact safe, the Order member left, though shortly after their departure, Al-Mutawakkil was killed and the Seal was stolen by a young thief, Basim Ibn Ishaq.^[3]

Abu' Abdallah, who had witnessed his father's murder and the theft of the Seal, later confided in Qabiha about the incident. After her son mentioned that Basim had activated the artifact when he touched it, Qabiha concluded that the thief was "something more than man" and the answer to the Order's goals.^[4]

Anarchy at Samarra[]

"With the Caliph's death we have been deprived of a valuable pawn. Rest easy. The board is reset, but new pieces are in play. From the ashes of all that we'd built shall new fires be kindled. Fan the flames of dissent, sow suspicion and reap reward. Anarchy is our ally. Order shall rise from Chaos. The snare has been laid."

―Qabiha in a letter to her fellow Order members, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Al-Mutawakkil's death was a major blow to the Order, who lost a powerful puppet. However, Qabiha remained undeterred in her goals and wrote letters to her fellow Order members, assuring them that although their plans may have been reset by the caliph's death, the resulting anarchy would provide a new slate for their endeavors.^[5]

During this time, Qabiha's seat at the Harem was challenged as her influence in the Abbasid court began to falter, especially due to concerns among the Caliphate's citizens about her son being unsuited for the position of caliph. Her only ally was her stewardess Makira, who devoutly protected her mistress' honor through any means.^[6] Another strike against Qabiha occurred when she learned of Mas'ood's death at the Caravanserai,^[7] which alerted her to the Hidden Ones' presence in Baghdad.^[8]

Following the loss of Mas'ood, Qabiha continued to aid her fellow Order members with their respective operations, providing test subjects for Fazil's device, the Alruh,^[9] and assisting Wasif in his fight against Ali ibn Muhammad's rebellion.^[10] Cautionary from Mas'ood's death, she wrote a letter to Ning imploring her not to make a public appearance at the Da'irat Al-mal, but her advice was ignored.^[8]

The Da'irat Al-mal[]

Qabiha: "Ning uses the Qina'. She is quite taken with its rich mystique, as are many. Curious. You do not look like one who is interested in the art of perfumery."

Basim: "It is unwise to judge someone by how they look."

Qabiha: "Indeed. Did I not catch your name?"

Basim: "Basim."

—Qabiha talking to Basim during the Da'irat Al-mal, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Attending the grand auction herself, Qabiha spoke with a perfume merchant about Ning's perfume Qina' being delayed in supply. While discussing the matter more privately, Qabiha was informed^[8] that there was a blockade at the harbor which withheld the supplies needed to create the perfume,^[11] most notably blood, impeding production. The merchant then left to discuss the matter with the caliph, leaving Qabiha alone at her quarters in the Bazaar.^[8]

ACMir Gilded Butterflies 11 — Qabiha speaking with Basim about Ning

Shortly after, Qabiha was approached by a stranger, Basim Ibn Ishaq, who was secretly a Hidden One and had eavesdropped on the concubine's conversation with the perfume merchant. While they talked about perfume, Qabiha inadvertently revealed Ning's identity as "the Treasurer" to Basim, though she did manage to learn Basim's own name. Qabiha then took her leave as she went to attend the Da'irat Al-mal, where successfully bid on an ivory elephant statue from India.^[8]

During the auction, Qabiha witnessed Basim, Ning and a third party bidding for a Chinese hairpin, which was desired by Ning, though the Ancient was ultimately unable to secure the item. After the Da'irat Al-mal concluded, Ning returned to her headquarters, where she was later killed by Basim.^[8] Following Ning's death, Qabiha retrieved the hairpin and kept it in her study at the Harem.^[6]

On the run[]

Basim: "Her office is empty. She has abandoned you, Makira. You serve a faithless mistress."

Makira: "She will return from the Palace when the danger has passed."

Basim: "You really should not have told me that."

—Makira inadvertently revealing Qabiha's location to Basim, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Qabiha later learned of Wasif's callous methods of butchering his prisoners, which led her to send him a letter warning Wasif to reconsider his actions or else they may draw unwanted attention upon the Order and herself. However, Wasif was assassinated shortly after by the Hidden Ones,^[10] as was Fazil, depriving Qabiha of her lieutenants' support.^[9]

ACMir The Servant and the Impostor 20 — Qabiha's study at the Harem

As her control over Baghdad began to crumble, Qabiha resolved to make a deal with the city's governor Muhammad ibn Tahir. Having learned of an Isu temple situated underneath the Hidden Ones' stronghold of Alamut, whose secrets she sought to uncover, Qabiha convinced Muhammad to have his Tahirid relatives end their protection of Alamut. In exchange, she would force her son, who was rallying civilian support to challenge the current caliph's, al-Musta'in, claim to the throne, to sign away his birthright and swear allegiance to al-Musta'in in order to restore peace to Baghdad.^[12]

Sensing that the Hidden Ones were close to discovering her identity as Al-Bahamut, Qabiha compiled all her items, including Ning's hairpin and a map of Baghdad and Alamut, in her study at the Harem before retreating to the Palace of the Green Dome for her own protection. However, her study was later infiltrated by Basim, who found all the evidence linking Qabiha to the Order and discovered her location from Makira herself.^[6]

Death[]

Basim: "What am I?"

Qabiha: "Something more than man."

Basim: "Enough riddles, speak plainly!"

Qabiha: "Why speak what can be shown? Come with me to Alamut. Beneath its Temple walls lies all the knowledge that you are heir to. Your so-called brothers would sooner die... than see you claim it. But take heart, Basim. We will prepare the way. And set you free."

—Qabiha offering to show Basim the truth about his nature, 860s.^[src]^-[m]

Alone, Qabiha hid herself in a secret chamber within the Palace, with Makira's help. However, Basim determined the code needed to unlock the passage to her room, which was based on Arib Al-Ma'muniyya's poetry, and confronted the Ra's Al-Af'a. Taken by surprise, Qabiha ran away from Basim until she was cornered in the palace's bath.^[4]

ACMir The Serpent's Nest 28 — Qabiha assassinated by Roshan

Taking advantage of the mist to remain hidden, Qabiha approached Basim from behind and disarmed him before holding him at knifepoint. However, the Hidden One managed to free himself and confronted Qabiha. Enticing him with unlocking the truth about his nature, which the brotherhood had kept secret from him, Qabiha told Basim about the Alamut Temple and invited him to accompany her there so that they could access it together and set Basim free.^[4]

As Basim considered the offer and retracted his Hidden Blade, Qabiha was suddenly struck from behind and killed by Roshan. After using a feather to collect Qabiha's blood as proof of her death, the senior Hidden One reprimanded Basim for listening to the Ra's Al-Af'a and threatened to kill him if he returned to Alamut to follow Qabiha's path.^[4]

Legacy[]

Prior to her death, Qabiha had mandated an assault on the Hidden Ones at Alamut, to clear the path for herself and Basim to access its Isu temple. Despite the Tahirid soldiers sent to attack the Hidden One stronghold inflicting many casualties, they were ultimately defeated when Basim returned to Alamut and killed their commander, Kabeer Al-Jund, before freeing all the Hidden Ones they had taken captive. Basim then entered the Isu temple like Qabiha had encouraged him to, where he ultimately unearthed his past life and embraced his resurgent memories.^[13]

By the 880s, two decades after Qabiha's death, her former stewardess Makira had followed in her footsteps and joined the Order of the Ancients, under the cryptonym "Al-Si'la".^[14]

Behind the scenes[]

Qabiha is a historical figure featured as the main antagonist of the 2023 video game Assassin's Creed: Mirage, where she was voiced by the English-Greek actress Angela Christofilou. Historically, Qabiha died in the winter of 877.^[15]

Etymology[]

The name Qabiha (قبيحة) qabīḥa is the feminine singular of (قَبِيح‎) qabīḥ which translates to "ugly", "vile", "bad", "abominable."

Her Order cryptonym, Al-Bahamut (البهاموت), is a reference to the giant fish of the same name from medieval Islamic cosmography, which was said to serve as one of the layers that support the Earth. Above the fish stands a bull called Kuyootà, on the bull, a "ruby" rock, and on the rock an angel that shoulders the Earth. The Bahamut is suspended in water for its own stability and below it is the colossus serpentine Falak.^[16]