Farida, born Safinaz Zulficar (5 September 1921 – 16 October 1988) (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: صافيناز ذوالفقار), was the queen of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
for nearly eleven years as the first wife of
King Farouk
Farouk I (; ar, فاروق الأول ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 193 ...
. She was the first queen of Egypt since antiquity to have left seclusion and played a public representational role, attending public functions and acting as honorary protector of charities, in accordance with the modern image the monarchy wished to represent at the time. The marriage was dissolved by divorce in 1948.
Early life and education
Queen Farida was born "Safinaz Zulficar" on 5 September 1921
to an Egyptian
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
family in
Janaklis,
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
. Her father,
Youssef Zulficar Pasha
Youssef Zulficar Pasha () (6 June 1866 – 15 July 1965) was an Egyptian judge. He was the father of Queen Farida of Egypt and thus father-in-law of King Farouk I.
Youssef Zulficar belonged to an Egyptian Circassian family, whose ancestors came ...
, was a judge of
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
origin; he was also vice president of the Alexandria Mixed Court of Appeals. Her mother, Zainab Sa'id, was a
lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
of Queen
Nazli Sabri
Nazli Sabri ( ar, نازلي صبري; 25 June 1894 – 29 May 1978) was the first queen consort in the Kingdom of Egypt from 1919 to 1936. She was the second wife of Fuad I, King of Egypt.
Early life
Nazli was born on 25 June 1894 into a famil ...
. On her mother's side, Farida's uncle was the artist and lawyer
Mahmoud Sa'id Mahmoud Said Bey ( ar, محمود سعيد) (April 8, 1897 – April 8, 1964) was an Alexandrian judge and modern painter.
Life
Mahmoud Said was born in Alexandria, Egypt; his father, Muhammad Said Pasha, was of Turkish origin and was the former ...
, and her grandfather was the former
prime minister of Egypt
The prime minister of Egypt () is the head of the Egyptian government. A direct translation of the Arabic-language title is "Minister-President of Egypt" and "President of the Government". The Arabic title can also be translated as "President of ...
Muhammad Said Pasha
Mohamed Said Pasha ( ar, محمد سعيد باشا) (19 January 1863 - 1928), was List of Prime Ministers of Egypt, Prime Minister of Egypt from 1910 to 1914, and again in 1919. He was born in Alexandria to a family of Turkish people, Turkish or ...
, who was also of Turkish origin. Farida attended elementary and primary education at
Notre Dame de Sion The Congregation of Our Lady of Sion (french: Congrégation de Notre-Dame de Sion, abbreviated by its members as N.D.S.) is composed of two Roman Catholic religious congregations founded in Paris, France. One is composed of priesthood (Catholic Chur ...
in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, a school run by French nuns.
Marriage and issue
Farida and King Farouk first met on a royal trip to
London
London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1937.
They were engaged in the summer of 1937.
[
She married King Farouk on 20 January 1938 at Qubba Palace 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 metro ...
, Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. She was renamed Farida as her reginal name in accordance with the royal naming convention initiated by King Fuad I
Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...
that members of the royal family should bear the same initials. She wore a wedding gown designed by The House of Worth
The House of Worth was a French fashion house that specialized in haute couture, ready-to-wear clothes, and perfumes. It was founded in 1858 by English designer Charles Frederick Worth. It continued to operate under his descendants until 1952 and c ...
in Paris.
She had three daughters:
* Princess Ferial,
* Princess Fawzia and
* Princess Fadia.
After the birth of a third daughter, Farouk divorced her, on 19 November 1948.[ King Farouk cared for the first two daughters, while Farida cared for the youngest one after the divorce.]
Queenship and public role
Queen Farida was born in a culture in which motherhood was the only priority of a woman. The birth of an heir to the throne was especially important. However, due to rising influence of the West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
, the role of the first lady and Queen rose to higher grounds.
A certain female emancipation at least in terms of visibility, had occurred in the Egyptian elite around the royal family, as it was regarded as a sign of modernity, suitable to use in the representation of the royal house to the Western world. In contrast to her predecessor, Queen Farida was not to live in seclusion, but to be given a public role.
The marriage in itself was used in official publicity to show the modern image the monarchy wished to give, and the royal couple was officially described as a modern domestic couple in a monogamous companionate marriage, which at that time hade came to be regarded as the ideal of the Egyptian elite.
Also the rest of the women of the Royal family were freed from harem seclusion after Faroukd's succession to the throne. During the wedding of King Farouk and Queen Farida, an official state royal wedding banquet was held, which the new Queen as well as the King's mother and sisters attended in mixed company and photos published in the press, and two days after the wedding, the King introduced the new Queen to the public by appearing with her on the royal balcony, something no queen had been allowed before.
The position of first lady and Queen became an honorary position bearing with it public representational duties, such as attending charities, fundraisers, commemorations and receiving foreign dignitaries.
Queen Farida accepted chair of the Red Crescent Society
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, an ...
and was also honorary president of the Egyptian Feminist Union
The Egyptian Feminist Union () was the first nationwide feminist movement in Egypt.
History and profile
The Egyptian Feminist Union was founded at a meeting on 6 March 1923 at the home of activist Huda Sha'arawi, who served as its first presiden ...
and the New Woman Alliance. She was also patron of the Egyptian Girl Guide Company which had an important role in community affairs.
During the last years of queenship, Farida progressively retired from public life during a time when her marriage deteriorated. King Farouk reportedly had numerous mistresses, did not show his queen consideration, excluded her from receptions and at one point instead attended a party of Princess Chevikar in the company of a mistress, placing her beside the Prime Minister Nuqrashi Pasha
Mahmoud Fahmy El Nokrashy Pasha (April 26, 1888 – December 28, 1948) ( ar, محمود فهمى النقراشى باشا, ) was an Egyptian political figure. He was the second prime minister of the Kingdom of Egypt.
Early life ...
, who took offence.
Shafik Egyptian Feminist: A Woman Apart
' The absence of a male heir also contributed to the divorce.
The divorce was not popular in Egypt, since Farida was very popular, and king Farouk was publicly hissed at the Cairo Cinema because of it. Doria Shafik
Doria Shafik ( ar, درية شفيق; 14 December 1908 – 20 September 1975) was an Egyptian feminist, poet and editor, and one of the principal leaders of the women's liberation movement in Egypt in the mid-1940s. As a direct result of her ...
viewed the royal divorce, and Farida's choice to leave an unhappy marriage, as a call to the Egyptian woman to find her freedom and liberate herself: "In exchange for her liberty, Farida gave up a throne, one of the supreme gestures in the history of the Egyptian woman".
Later life
Farida stayed in Egypt until 1964,[ living in ]Zamalek
Zamalek ( ar, الزمالك , ''al zamalek'') is an affluent district of western Cairo encompassing the northern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River. The island is connected with the river banks through three bridges each on the east an ...
, a suburb on an island in the Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest riv ...
. Later she settled in Lebanon where she saw her children after nearly ten years.[ In March 1965, when King Farouk died in Rome, she and her three daughters visited his body at the morgue. Then, she lived in ]Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
from 1968 to 1974 until she returned to Egypt in 1974, during the presidency of Anwar Al-Sadat
Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...
. She remained unmarried after the divorce. During the late 1960s, she began painting.[ An artist, she had personal exhibitions in Europe and the United States. One of her exhibitions was 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 metro ...
in May 1980.
Death
Farida was hospitalized in September 1988 due to several health problems, including leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
, pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
and hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...
.[ On 2 October, she was put in intensive care and then, she lapsed into coma. She died of leukemia on 16 October 1988, aged 67, in Cairo.]
Honours
National honours
* House of Muhammad Ali: Former Grand Mistress Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Virtues, Special Class[40.media.tumblr.com]
Farida Zulficar (right) at the Greek Royal Wedding
/ref>
Foreign honours
* Greek Royal Family
The Greek royal family (Greek: Ελληνική Βασιλική Οικογένεια) is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a branch of the House of Glücksburg, that reigned in Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. Its ...
: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Beneficence
* Iranian Imperial Family: Dame Grand Cordon of the Imperial Order of Aftab
* Yugoslavian Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of St. Sava
See also
* List of consorts of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty
References
External links
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farida of Egypt
1921 births
1988 deaths
20th-century Egyptian painters
20th-century Egyptian women
20th-century Egyptian women artists
Deaths from leukemia
Egyptian emigrants to France
Egyptian emigrants to Lebanon
Egyptian people of Circassian descent
Egyptian people of Turkish descent
Egyptian queens consort
Farouk of Egypt
Grand Crosses of the Order of Beneficence (Greece)
Grand Crosses of the Order of St. Sava
People from Alexandria
Recipients of the Order of St. Sava
Deaths from cancer in Egypt