Salahuddin of Selangor

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj ( Jawi: ; 8 March 1926 – 21 November 2001) was the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and eighth Sultan of Selangor.

Early life

Born on at 3:30 pm. Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah on Monday 8 March 1926 at Istana Bandar Temasha, Jugra, Kuala Langat, he is the eldest son of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah by his royal consort and wife, Tengku Ampuan Raja Jemaah binti Al-Marhum Raja Ahmad.

He received his early education at the Pengkalan Batu Malay School in Klang in 1934. In 1936, he furthered his studies at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar until 1941 when World War II began. After World War II, he went to England in 1947 and studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London for two years.

Upon his return from the United Kingdom, he served with the Civil Service Department as a Trainee Officer with the Selangor Survey Department. He later served as an Inspector of Schools for eight years.

In 1952, he attended a short-term course at the Malay Military Troop in Port Dickson for six months and was commissioned with the Queen Commission in the rank of captain. Thereafter, he was promoted to the rank of major.

Sultan of Selangor

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was appointed as the Tengku Laksamana of Selangor on 1 August 1946 and as the Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Selangor on 13 May 1950.

On the demise of his father, Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah became the eighth Sultan of Selangor with the title ''Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah'' on 3 September 1960 and was installed as the 8th Sultan on 28 June 1961.

On 26 April 1984, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was appointed as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy by the Malaysian Armed Forces in place of the position of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force which he held since 1966.

Sultan Salahuddin was the Sultan who signed the cession of Kuala Lumpur from Selangor to the Federal Government to form a Federal Territory on 1 February 1974. The Sultan cried after the signing as he was very fond and proud of the city, but he did it for the greater good of Malaysia. The Kota Darul Ehsan arch was erected along the Federal Highway at the border of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to commemorate the event in 1981.

Sultan Salahuddin was a founder of Shah Alam, the new Selangor state capital in 1978. He said that for Selangor to become a modern state, it would need a new state capital as Kuala Lumpur had become a Federal Territory. At that time Klang was the state capital after the cession of Kuala Lumpur when the Sultan founded Shah Alam. Many buildings and roads in Shah Alam are named after him.

Salahuddin held the rank of Marshal of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Field Marshal of the Malaysian Army and Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Malaysian Navy as per constitutional provisions making him as the second royal military officer to become supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong

He was the second oldest ruler to be elected as the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 26 April 1999 and installed on 11 September 1999.

The cession of Putrajaya, which was formerly Selangor territory, to the Federal Government in 2001 to become a Federal Territory occurred during his reign as Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in Putrajaya was named after him.

However, after reigning for two years and 6 months, he died in office on 21 November 2001 at the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. He underwent a heart operation to put a pacemaker two months prior to his death, which he did not fully recover from. He was buried in the Royal Mausoleum near Sultan Sulaiman Mosque in Klang.

Personal life

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah married at least four wives.

His first wife and cousin, HRH ''Paduka Bonda Raja'' Raja Nur Saidatul Ihsan binti Al Marhum ''Raja Bendahara'' Tengku Badar Shah, whom he later divorced, bore:
# Tengku Nor Halija
# Tengku Idris Shah, later Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah
# Tengku Puteri Sofiah (died 8 June 2017)
# ''Tengku Laksamana'' Tengku Sulaiman Shah
# Tengku Puteri Zahariah (Ku Yah)
# Tengku Fatimah
# ''Tengku Panglima Besar'' Tengku Abdul Samad
# Tengku Puteri Arafiah
# Tengku Puteri Aishah (died 30 July 2012)

Che Maheram binti Muhammad Rais, his second wife, bore him:
# ''Tengku Panglima Raja'' Tengku Ahmad Shah

His royal consort, Tengku Ampuan Rahimah binti Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah of the Langkat royal family in Sumatra died in 1993 before his election as Yang di-Pertuan Agong. She was the mother of:
# Tengku Puteri Nor Marina
# Tengku Puteri Nor Zehan

His last wife, commoner Tuanku Siti Aishah binti Abdul Rahman, served as his Raja Permaisuri Agong. Being fifty years younger than him, she was also the youngest ever occupant of that office – only 29 at her succession to the throne.

Hobbies and interests

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was a keen sportsman. His interest in golf is well-known within and outside the country. The Sultan also loved sailing, collecting antique cars, rearing animals and planting orchids. He also likes visiting foreign countries to widen his knowledge and experience.

Legacy

Several projects and institutions were named after the Sultan, including:

Educational institutions

* SMK Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, a secondary school in Shah Alam, Selangor
* SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, a secondary school in Kajang, Selangor
* SAMT Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, a secondary school in Sabak, Selangor
* Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in Shah Alam, Selangor

Buildings

* Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building, Selangor's state secretariat building in Shah Alam, Selangor
* Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque, Selangor's state mosque in Shah Alam, Selangor
* Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Court Building, a court building in Shah Alam, Selangor
* Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Jamek Mosque

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