Zuleika (given name)


Zuleika is a feminine given name. Variations of the name include Suleika, Zuleikha, Zulaikha, Zuleyka, Zuleica, Züleyha and Zuleykha. The name is of uncertain origin, possibly from Persian, meaning "brilliant beauty", or from Arabic, meaning "bright and fair". Zuzu is a nickname.

Cultural associations

In Jewish tradition, Potiphar's wife tries to seduce her slave, Joseph, falsely accuses him of attempted rape, and has him imprisoned when he resists her sexual advances. In later Islamic poetic tradition, Zuleika has dreamed of a beautiful man since she was a young girl and falls passionately in love with the young man, who is called Yusuf in the Quran, when he is brought to her household as a slave. In some tales, Zuleika marries Yusuf after her first husband dies and Yusuf is freed, but her passion still remains unsatisfied. According to some interpretations, Zuleika’s passion for Yusuf is an allegory for man’s search for union with God.

People

Biblical and fictional characters