Qabiha

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 "," 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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Qabiha
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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – One Final Counsel
===Meeting in Anbar===
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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – The Master Thief of Anbar
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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – The Serpent's Nest
===Anarchy at Samarra===
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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Notes from Basim's travels: "The Path Ahead"
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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – The Servant and the Impostor Another strike against Qabiha occurred when she learned of Mas'ood's death at the Caravanserai,Assassin's Creed: Mirage – First Order which alerted her to the Hidden Ones' presence in Baghdad.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Gilded Butterflies
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,Assassin's Creed: Mirage – The Great Symposium and assisting Wasif in his fight against Ali ibn Muhammad's rebellion.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Den of the Beast 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.
====The Da'irat Al-mal====
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 that there was a blockade at the harbor which withheld the supplies needed to create the perfume,Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Coin, Corruption and Tea 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.
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.
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. Following Ning's death, Qabiha retrieved the hairpin and kept it in her study at the Harem.
====On the run====
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, as was Fazil, depriving Qabiha of her lieutenants' support.
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 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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Judge and Executioner
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.
====Death====
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.
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.
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.
===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.Assassin's Creed: Mirage – In Pursuit of Truth
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".
==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.
===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 from , which was said to serve as one of the layers that support the Earth. Above the fish stands a bull called , 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 .
==Gallery==
ACMir Qabiha's outfit 1.jpg|Model of Qabiha's outfit
ACMir Qabiha's outfit 2.jpg|Model of Qabiha's outfit
ACMir Qabiha Masked.png|Qabiha in her Order outfit and mask
ACMir One Final Counsel 10.png|Close-up of a masked Qabiha
ACMir One Final Counsel 11.png|Close-up of Qabiha
ACMir Gilded Butterflies 9.png|Basim eavesdropping on Qabiha and the perfume merchant
ACMir Gilded Butterflies 10.png|Qabiha's first meeting with Basim
ACMir Gilded Butterflies 14.png|Qabiha buying an elephant statue at the Da'irat Al-mal
ACMir The Serpent's Nest 20.png|Qabiha holding Basim at knifepoint
ACMir The Serpent's Nest 21.png|Qabiha facing Basim
ACMir The Serpent's Nest 32.png|Qabiha's body
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Mirage 
*Echoes of History 
==References==
fr:Qabiha
de:Qabiha
Category:860s deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Abbasid people
Category:Ethnic Greeks
Category:Slaves
Category:Concubines
Category:Order of the Ancients
Category:Order of the Ancients leaders
Category:Abbasid dynasty