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Alia Al-Hussein ( ar, علياء الحسين, born Alia Bahauddin Toukan (); 25 December 1948 – 9 February 1977) was the
Queen of Jordan This is a list of the women who have been queen consort of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since the emirate was elevated to the status of a kingdom in 1949. As all monarchs of Jordan have been required by law to be male, there has never been ...
and the third wife of
King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...
from their marriage in 1972 until her death in a helicopter crash in southern
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
near
Tafilah Tafilah ( ar, الطفيلة, 'aṭ-Ṭafīlah, ), also spelled Tafila, is a town with a population of 27,559 people in southern Jordan, located southwest of Amman. It is the capital of Tafilah Governorate. It is well known for having green gar ...
.


Background

Alia was born on 25 December 1948 in
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
, the daughter of Baha Toukan and his wife Hanan Hashim. Her mother, a home-maker, was a niece of Ibrahim Hashim
Pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignita ...
, and her father was a diplomat. At the time of Alia's birth, he was the ambassador of Jordan to the
Court of St James's The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – ...
(United Kingdom),
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
and
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
all at once. Toukan, a close confident of King
Abdullah I of Jordan AbdullahI bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبد الله الأول بن الحسين, translit=Abd Allāh al-Awwal bin al-Husayn, 2 February 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emi ...
, had previously helped write the Jordanian Constitution in 1952, and had served as Jordan's first Ambassador to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
. 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, and
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
. She attended Church School in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
with her younger brothers, Alaa and Abdullah. She was educated at the Rome Center of Liberal Arts of
Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Its namesake is Saint Ignat ...
. She studied political science with a minor in social psychology, and public relations at
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admin ...
in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. She was interested in sports and writing, and she wished to be a diplomat. In 1971, she moved to Jordan, where she worked for
Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Airlines ( ar, ; transliterated: ''Al-Malakiyyah al-'Urduniyyah''), formerly known as Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines, is the flag carrier airline of Jordan with its head office in the capital, Amman. The airline operates schedu ...
Airlines. She was asked by
King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...
, grandson of Abdullah I, to oversee the preparations for the first International Water Skiing Festival held in the coastal city of
Aqaba Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...
in September 1972.


Family

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 wife Princess Muna Al-Hussein, and was titled Queen Alia Al Hussein ( ar, الملكة علياء الحسين). They had two children: *
Princess Haya Princess Haya bint Hussein ( ar, الأميرة هيا بنت الحسين; born 3 May 1974) is the daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife Queen Alia, and the half-sister of King Abdullah II. She is a graduate of the University ...
(born 3 May 1974) * Prince Ali (born 23 December 1975) They also adopted
Abir Gulal or abir ( bn, আবীর) or abhir ( or, ଅଭୀର) is the traditional name given to the coloured powders used for the typical Hindu rituals, in particular for the Holi festival or Dol Purnima (though commonly associated with the r ...
, a young Palestinian girl whose mother had been killed by a plane crash at a refugee camp near the Amman airport.


Queen

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. 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. In 1976, Alia received the Great Star of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.


Death and legacy

Alia died in a helicopter crash in
Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 as of 2021, Amman is ...
, Jordan, on 9 February 1977. Amman's principal airport,
Queen Alia International Airport Queen Alia International Airport ( ar, مطار الملكة علياء الدولي, Maṭār al-Malika ʿAlyāʾ ad-Dawaliyy) is an international airport located in Zizya, 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Amman, Jordan's capital city, as w ...
(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 (now
Amman Civil Airport Amman Civil Airport ( ar, مطار عمان المدني, Maṭār ʿAmmān al-Madaniyy), commonly known as ''Marka International Airport'', is an unscheduled airport located in Marka district, Greater Amman Municipality, Jordan, some north- ...
) as the city's main gateway.


Honours and decorations

; National * Dame Grand Cordon with Collar of the
Order of al-Hussein bin Ali The Order of al-Hussein bin Ali is the highest order of the Kingdom of Jordan. It was founded on 22 June 1949 with one class (i.e. Collar) by King Abdullah I of Jordan with the scope of rewarding benevolence and foreign Heads of State. The class ...
. * Dame Grand Cordon of the
Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (, "Medal of the Nahda") is the second knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the ...
pecial class(24 December 1972). ; Foreign * Member of the
Order of Gabriela Silang The Order of Gabriela Silang ( fil, Orden ni Gabriela Silang) is an all-female order of the Philippines founded on September 19, 2003. Dame Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...
(Empire of Japan, 10 March 1976). * Great Star of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (Republic of Austria, June 1976).


Institutions associated with Queen Alia


Queen Alia International Airport – QAIA
* Queen Alia Military Hospital. * Securing Political Constitutional Rights for Women. * The SOS Children's Village. * The Queen Alia Foundation for Hearing and Speech. * The Farah Rehabilitation Unit at the
King Hussein Medical Center King Hussein Medical Center (Arabic مدينة الحسين الطبية), is a medical complex of five hospitals situated in Amman, Jordan. The center is affiliated to the major Jordanian Royal Medical Services hospitals; also known as JRMS. JRM ...
. * The Queen Alia Heart Institute, also at the King Hussein Medical Center. * Tkiyet Um Ali Queen Alia (Um Ali – The Mother of Ali).Princess Haya
/ref>


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussein, Alia 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 Princesses by marriage 20th-century Jordanian women