Gevherhan Sultan

Gevherhan Sultan (, "Gem of the Khan"; 1544/1545 – 1624) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Selim II (reign 1566–1574) and his favorite Nurbanu Sultan. She was the granddaughter of Suleiman the Magnificent (reign 1520–66) and Hürrem Sultan, sister of Sultan Murad III (reign 1574–95) and aunt of Sultan Mehmed III (reign 1595–1603). Early life Gevherhan Sultan was born in Manisa in 1544 or 1545. Her father was Şehzade Selim (future Selim II), son of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and Hurrem Sultan. She spent her early life in Manisa and Konya, where her father served as a sanjak-bey. Her mother was Nurbanu Sultan, favorite of Selim and his future Haseki Sultan and wedded wife. She had an older sister, Şah Sultan, two younger sisters, Ismihan Sultan and Fatma Sultan, a younger brother, Murad III, and six younger half-brother who died infants when Murad became Sultan. The lack of knowledge of precise birth dates for her and her sisters Şah (born 1544) and Ismihan (born 1545) has created several speculations about her birth: Gevherhan may have been born in late 1544 or early 1545, with Şah born in early 1544 and Ismihan in late 1545. However, this easily overlaps with Murad's date of birth, who Nurbanu gave birth to the 4 July 1546. Gevherhan may have been the twin of Şah or Ismihan. This would solve the tight deadlines of their births, but a twin birth would have been probraly celebrated and registered. Gevherhan may not be Nurbanu's daughter, however this minority opinion contradicts records and sources, which indicate Nurbanu as the mother of all three princesses.