 A BRIEF HISTORY |
The Emirate of Transjordan was established in 1921 on the east bank of the Jordan River. It achieved independence from Britain in 1946 and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the east and west banks of the Jordan River were united in order to save the parts of Palestine which remained under Arab control after the 1948 war from further Israeli occupation.
Unity was ratified and declared in 1950. Seventeen years later, the west bank was occupied by Israel during the 1967 war. In 1988, Jordan disengaged from the West Bank.
Jordan has been ruled by three monarchs: H.M. King Abdullah Ibn Al Hussein (1921-1951), H.M. King Talal Ibn Abdullah (1951-1952), H.M. King Hussein Ibn Talal (1952- present).
| THE MONARCHY |
 Biography of His Majesty King Abdullah bin al-Hussein |
His Majesty King Abdullah bin al-Hussein is the 43rd generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammed. King Abdullah assumed his constitutional powers as King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on February 7, 1999, the day his father, the late King Hussein, passed away. King Abdullah is committed to building on the legacy left by the late King Hussein to further Jordan's democratic institutionalization and political pluralism, while working for a just and comprehensive peace in a climate of openness and tolerance.
Born in Amman on January 30, 1962, His Majesty is the eldest son of the late King Hussein and has four brothers and six sisters. King Abdullah began his education at the Islamic Educational College and received his secondary education at St. Edmund's School in Surrey, England, Eaglebrook School in Massachusetts, then at Deerfield Academy in the United States of America. In 1980, King Abdullah entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, where he received his military education.
King Abdullah attended Oxford University in 1984, undergoing a one year Special Studies course in International Politics and World Affairs. Upon returning home, His Majesty continued his military path, gaining experience and working his way to the rank of Captain and the Commander of a Tank Company in the 91st Armored Brigade. From 1986 -1987, also as Captain, his Majesty was attached to the Royal Jordanian Air Force's Helicopter Anti-Tank Wing as a Tactics Instructor, where he received qualification as a Cobra Attack Helicopter Pilot.
In 1987, King Abdullah attended the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and was in residence as a Mid-Career Fellow. He undertook Advanced Study and Research in International Affairs under the auspices of the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program.
Upon returning home, His Majesty was assigned to the 17th Tank Battalion, 2nd Royal Guards Brigade and in the summer of 1989, he became Battalion 2nd-in-Command, with the rank of Major. In 1991, King Abdullah was the Armor Representative in the Office of the Inspector General. He was promoted to Lt. Colonel at the end of the year and assumed command of the 2nd Armored Car Regiment in the 10th Brigade.
Upon handing over the battalion in January 1993, King Abdullah was promoted to full Colonel and assigned as Deputy Commander of the Jordanian Special Forces. In June 1994, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, and assumed command of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces, after having served as Deputy Commander for six months. His Majesty was appointed commander of the Special Operations Command on October 1997, and in May 1998, he was promoted to the rank of Major General.
In addition to his career as an army officer, King Abdullah has served his country many times in the official capacity of Regent in the absence of His Majesty King Hussein, and he regularly traveled with the late King Hussein. Before his accession to the throne, King Abdullah represented Jordan and his late father on visits to many countries throughout the world, and developed close relationships with leaders and officials of a number of Arab countries during the course of his career.
| King Abdullah married Queen Rania on June 10, 1993. Their Majesties have one son, Prince al-Hussein, born June 28, 1994, and one daughter, Princess Iman, born September 27, 1996.
King Abdullah is a qualified frogman, pilot and a free-fall parachutist. His other interests are car racing (he is a former Jordanian National Rally Racing Champion), water sports, scuba diving and collecting ancient weapons and armaments.
| Biography of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah |
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah (formerly, Rania Al-Yasin) was born in Kuwait on August 31, 1970 to a notable Jordanian family of Palestinian origin. She completed her primary and secondary education in Kuwait, and in 1991 obtained a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. Upon her graduation from university Queen Rania returned to Jordan and pursued a successful career in private sector banking, followed by a brief career in the field of information technology.
Their Majesties King Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein and Queen Rania Al-Abdullah were married, on June 10, 1993. They have two children, Prince Hussein, born on the 28th of June 1994, and Princess Iman, born on the 27th of September 1996.
In 1995, Her Majesty established the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), a non-profit, and non-governmental institution encompassing several projects with the overall objective of assisting vulnerable segments of Jordan's population in improving their prospects in a felt and sustainable fashion.
In the Income-generating arena, the Foundation oversees several well-known projects in the kingdom that include Jordan River Designs, Wadi Rayan and Bani Hamida. These empower women to become skilled contributors in the Jordanian economy, while raising additional sources of income to support their families. These initiatives have encouraged the revival of an almost forgotten heritage of craft production and tribal rug-weaving.
In 1998, and under the direction of Her Majesty, JRF embarked on a micro-credit project that aims to deliver financing, business support and training for small business entrepreneurs to assist them in launching, expanding and improving their operations. Long-term sustainability is the hallmark of this initiative, which represents a significant turn in the conceptual framework traditionally applied toward this sector in Jordan.
Working closely with various international agencies, the Ministry of Social Development and Jordan River Foundation, Her Majesty oversaw the launching of the Child Abuse Prevention Project which is the first of its kind in the Arab region. The project conceived a framework to create, under one institutional umbrella, the capacity to address both the immediate needs for protecting children at risk of abuse, and the necessity of adopting a long-term campaign to modify public attitudes towards children.
Her Majesty spearheaded a fund-raising campaign which resulted in the establishment of a model center for primary and secondary prevention of child abuse in Hai Al-Ameer Hassan (a refugee camp within the Greater Amman District). The project will lead to the establishment of several safe-houses for abused children complete with psychological rehabilitation capabilities, a help-line with trained operators, and the capacity to aid parents in developing optimal child-rearing practices through various educational programs.
Furthermore, Queen Rania is the President of the Jordan Society for Organ Donation. This organization focuses on mobilizing efforts to enhance cooperation between hospitals in order to better facilitate organ donations and transplants. Queen Rania also heads the Jordan Blood Disease Society which conducts awareness campaigns on the dangers of blood diseases, their causes, and the necessary precautions needed to avoid them. Her Majesty is the Honorary Chairperson for the Jordan National Committee for the Hanover World Exposition and the President of the Steering Committee for the National Museum Project.
In addition to her permanent affiliation with the aforementioned organizations, Queen Rania sponsors numerous events that promote economic growth as well as the educational, artistic, and cultural diversity in the Kingdom.
Queen Rania is fluent in Arabic and English. She enjoys reading, water skiing, running, cycling and cooking.
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