Alia Toukan
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(June 2012) |
Alia Toukan | |||||
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![]() Queen Alia in 1976 | |||||
Queen consort of Jordan | |||||
Tenure | 24 December 1972 – 9 February 1977 | ||||
Born | Alia Bahauddin Toukan 25 December 1948 Cairo,Kingdom of Egypt | ||||
Died | 9 February 1977 Amman,Jordan | (aged 28)||||
Burial | |||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue |
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Father | Bahauddin Toukan | ||||
Mother | Hanan Hashim |
Alia Bahauddin Toukan(علياء بهاء الدين طوقان;25 December 1948 – 9 February 1977), also known asAlia Al Hussein(Arabic:علياء الحسين),[1]wasQueen of Jordanas the third wife ofKing Husseinfrom their marriage on 24 December 1972 until her death in a helicopter crash in 1977. Alia was of Palestinian origin.
Background
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Habis_Majali_walking_alongside_Queen_Alia.jpg/220px-Habis_Majali_walking_alongside_Queen_Alia.jpg)
Alia Toukan was born on 25 December 1948 inCairo,Egypt,[1][2]the daughter of PalestinianBaha Toukanand his wife Hanan Hashim. Her mother, a home-maker, was a grandniece ofIbrahim HashimPasha,and her father was a diplomat.[2]At the time of Alia's birth, he was the ambassador of Jordan to theCourt of St James's(United Kingdom), Italy, Turkey and Egypt all at once.[3][4]Toukan, a close confidant of KingAbdullah I of Jordan,had previously helped write theJordanian Constitutionin 1952, and had served as Jordan's first Ambassador to the United Nations.[2]
Alia spent most of her childhood years traveling with her parents during her father's career in Jordan's diplomatic corps: she lived in Egypt, Turkey, London, the United States, andRome.[2]She attended Church School in London with her younger brothers, Alaa and Abdullah. She was educated at theRome Center of Liberal ArtsofLoyola University Chicago.[5]She studied political science with a minor in social psychology, and public relations atHunter Collegein New York City.[2]She was interested in sports and writing, and she wished to be a diplomat.[2]In 1971, she moved to Jordan, where she worked forRoyal JordanianAirlines.[2]She was asked byKing Hussein,grandson of Abdullah I, to oversee the preparations for the first International Water Skiing Festival held in the coastal city ofAqabain September 1972.[citation needed]
Family
[edit]Alia married the King in a private ceremony at her father's house, with no attendance of any other royal family members, on 24 December 1972, 3 days after the king divorced his second wifePrincess Muna Al-Hussein,and was titled Queen Alia Al Hussein (Arabic:الملكة علياء الحسين).
- Princess Haya(born 3 May 1974)
- Prince Ali(born 23 December 1975)
They also adoptedAbir,[1][2]a young Palestinian girl whose mother had been killed by a plane crash at a refugee camp near the Amman airport.
Queen
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/King_Hussein_and_Queen_Alia_with_the_Fords.jpg/220px-King_Hussein_and_Queen_Alia_with_the_Fords.jpg)
Queen Alia founded the Office of the Queen of Jordan and gave it an active and public role. The active role she took in Jordan has been emulated by her successors. She financed social development projects, placing particular emphasis on women and children.[1][5]She often made surprise visits to hospitals and national institutions, aiming to raise service standards and help people to help themselves. In her drive to ensure that children from impoverished backgrounds received their right to education, she fostered close ties with schools such as the Schneller School for Orphans, which took many of the street children that Queen Alia sent there.
Her commitment to improving social services continued throughout her lifetime and was still pursued in her name after her death, when King Hussein ensured the continuation of the many educational scholarships given in her honour.
Alia's love of the arts and literature inspired the establishment of libraries throughout the country, including one at the Central Bank of Jordan and another in the King Hussein Medical City. Her interest in the arts led to the founding of the Haya Cultural Centre for Children, the National Folklore Troupe and the Alia Art Gallery. It was also instrumental in conceiving the Jerash Festival for the Arts.
In 1974, Alia called for women to be granted the right to vote and be elected for parliament. On 4 April 1974, a law was promulgated granting women this right; however, the suspension of parliamentary life in Jordan between 1974 and 1989 prevented its implementation.
Death and legacy
[edit]Alia died in a military helicopter crash inAmman,Jordan, on 9 February 1977.[3]She was on her way back from an inspection trip to Tafileh Hospital in southern Jordan.[1]King Hussein announced her death on radio, stating that the crash had happened in a violent rainstorm.[2]The Minister of Health Mohammed al-Beshir and Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Mohannad Alkhas Hatough were also killed in the crash.[2][6]Her funeral ceremony took place on the following day, in which members of theJordanian Armed Forcestook part.[7][8]Among the foreign dignitaries at the funeral was the Syrian presidentHafez al-Assad.[9]
Amman's principal airport,Queen Alia International Airport(AMM), was built in 1983 and named in her honour. It is located 32 km (20 miles) south of the city and replaced Amman Marka International Airport (nowAmman Civil Airport) as the city's main gateway.
Honours and decorations
[edit]- National
Dame Grand Cordon with Collar of theOrder of al-Hussein bin Ali.[citation needed]
Dame Grand Cordon of theSupreme Order of the Renaissance[special class] (24 December 1972).[citation needed]
- Foreign
Member of theOrder of Gabriela Silang(Republic of the Philippines, 1 March 1976).[10]
Dame Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Precious Crown(Empire of Japan, 3 March 1976).[11]
Great Star of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria(Republic of Austria, 15 June 1976).[12][13]
Institutions named after or associated with Queen Alia
[edit]- Queen Alia International Airport
- Queen Alia Military Hospital
- Securing Political Constitutional Rights for Women
- TheSOS Children's Village
- The Queen Alia Foundation for Hearing and Speech
- The Farah Rehabilitation Unit at theKing Hussein Medical Center
- The Queen Alia Heart Institute, also at the King Hussein Medical Center
- Tkiyet Um AliQueen Alia (Um Ali – The Mother of Ali)[1]
References
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^abcdefg"Queen Alia remembered".The Jordan Times.8 February 2022.Retrieved3 March2023.
- ^abcdefghijk"Queen Alia of Jordan Dies in Copter Crash".The New York Times.UPI. 10 February 1977.Retrieved3 March2023.
- ^ab"Jordanians remember Queen Alia".The Jordan Times.8 February 2016.Retrieved19 July2024.
- ^Miller, Judith (8 February 1999)."Death of a King; Cautious King Took Risks In Straddling Two Worlds".The New York Times.Retrieved19 July2024.
- ^ab"Jordan marks 45th of Queen Alia's death".Jordan News Agency.8 February 2022.Retrieved3 March2023.
- ^في ذكرى استشهاد المغفور لها الملكة علياء.al Rai Newspaper(in Arabic). 17 February 2011.Retrieved19 July2024.
- ^"Jordan: King Hussein attends burial of his third wife, Queen Alia, killed in helicopter crash".British Pathé.10 February 1977.Retrieved3 March2023.
- ^"Jordan: King Hussein attends burial of his third wife, Queen Alia, killed in helicopter crash".Reuters. 10 February 1977.Retrieved3 March2023.
- ^Brannigan, Bill; Reasoner, Harry (10 February 1977)."Jordan / Alia Death".ABC Evening News.Retrieved3 March2023– via Vanderbilt University.
- ^"President's Week in Review: March 1 – March 9, 1976".Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.Retrieved19 July2024.
- ^"King Of Jordan's Banquet For Imperial Japanese Couple".Alamy.3 March 1976.Retrieved19 July2024.
- ^"Anfragebeantwortung"[Reply to a parliamentary question](PDF)(in German). Parliament of Austria. p. 458. 10542/AB XXIV. GP.Retrieved19 July2024.
- ^"SYND 16 6 76 KING HUSSEIN OF JORDAN VISITS AUSTRIA, SEES MOZART'S BIRTHPLACE".Associated Press.14 June 1976.Retrieved19 July2024.
- 1948 births
- 1977 deaths
- Hunter College alumni
- House of Hashim
- John Felice Rome Center alumni
- Jordanian royal consorts
- Arab queens
- Tuqan family
- Hussein of Jordan
- Recipients of the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
- Jordanian people of Palestinian descent
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Jordan
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1977
- Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents
- Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown
- Jordanian princesses by marriage
- 20th-century Jordanian women
- 20th-century Jordanian people