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My Memoirs Completed "Al Takmilah"
Founder of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, King Abdullah was a landmark figure during the awakening of the contemporary Arab World. Born of a family that was descended from the Prophet Muhammad, King Abdullah was Prince of the Hijaz who led the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. He was able to create a remarkably well-administered state which helped lay the foundations for a country that is today one of the most prosperous and stable of Middle Eastern countries.
This Epilogue was compiled during the crucial years between 1948 and 1952, the year of his death. It examines the events and the circumstances which led to the disasters of 1948; with many contemporary documents, it traces the relations at that time between Jordan and neighboring Arab countries. King Abdullah lived to see new subjections, but throughout this book we see his undaunted faith in the ultimate liberation and unity of the Arabs. This edition is the first to carry an introduction written by the grandson of King Abdullah, the present King Hussein I of Jordan.
http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/book1_h...
This Epilogue was compiled during the crucial years between 1948 and 1952, the year of his death. It examines the events and the circumstances which led to the disasters of 1948; with many contemporary documents, it traces the relations at that time between Jordan and neighboring Arab countries. King Abdullah lived to see new subjections, but throughout this book we see his undaunted faith in the ultimate liberation and unity of the Arabs. This edition is the first to carry an introduction written by the grandson of King Abdullah, the present King Hussein I of Jordan.
http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/book1_h...
1 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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About the author
Abdallah of Jordan
1 bookKing Abdullah bin Al-Hussein (1882-1951)
King Abdullah, the founder of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, will always be held in the pages of history as a unique and monumental figure during the newly emerging era of the contemporary Arab World. Mentor to his grandson, the late King Hussein I of Jordan, Abdullah’s character constituted a blend of the traditionalist and the modern. His public career was predominately forward-looking and modern. This is exemplified by him being one of the first Arab leaders to adopt a system of constitutional monarchy during the early years following the formation of his country, and the need he felt - from his experience - for the participation and representation of his people.
Under the Hashemite banner and his father’s inspiration, Abdullah led the Arab forces of the Great Arab Revolt, with his brothers Ali, Feisal and Zeid against the Ottoman occupational forces. By the end of the First World War, they had liberated Damascus, modern Jordan and most of the Arabian peninsula. Following this conquest, Emirs Abdullah and Feisal assumed the thrones of Transjordan and Iraq respectively. Transjordan was formed on April 21, 1921 when King Abdullah established the first centralized governmental system out of a mostly tribal and nomadic society. Over the next thirty years, he focused on nation-building thus developing the institutional foundations of modern Jordan. With great purpose and vision, he sought autonomy and independence; establishing democratic legitimacy by promulgating Jordan’s first constitution in 1928 and holding elections for its first parliament in 1929. Also during these three decades, the King presided over a series of Anglo-Transjordanian treaties culminating in the March 22, 1946 Anglo-Transjordanian Treaty, ending the British mandate, gaining full independence and changing the name of the country to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, King Abdullah’s Jordanian Arab Legion was instrumental in the defense of Jerusalem and parts of Palestine. The Jordanian army displayed courage and heroism, and was widely acknowledged for its high level of professionalism, tenacity and bravery against a force superior in number and armament. The Arab Legion successfully routed the fortified Jewish forces from the Old City and secured East Jerusalem despite the subsequent determined but ineffectual Israeli offensives to remove the Jordanian Arab Legion. The war came to an end in mid-July, as a series of armistice agreements were signed between Arab parties and Israel at the Rhodes Conference. Jordan did not participate at Rhodes, but concluded its armistice with Israel directly on the ground.
On July 20, 1951 King Abdullah traveled to Jerusalem for his regular Friday prayers with his young grandson, Hussein. The King was assassinated by a lone gunman on the steps of one of the holiest shrines of Islam, and the jewel of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque. Miraculously, the bullet meant for Hussein deflected off a medal he was wearing, thereby saving his life. King Abdullah rests in the Royal Tombs in the Royal Court in Amman.
The murder of King Hussein’s grandfather had a profound influence on his life in terms of understanding the importance and inevitability of death, as well as a sense of the importance of his duty and responsibility in the years to come. In his autobiography, Uneasy Lies the Head, King Hussein recalls how three days before that fateful day in Jerusalem, his grandfather turned to him and said, "I hope you realize, my son, that one day you will have to assume responsibility. I look to you to do your very best to see that my work is not lost. I look to you to continue it in the service of our people." The young Prince promised solemnly that he would, to his best ability, carry out his duty. However, the King and the Prince could not have known how short was the time ahead.
http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/kingabd...
King Abdullah, the founder of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, will always be held in the pages of history as a unique and monumental figure during the newly emerging era of the contemporary Arab World. Mentor to his grandson, the late King Hussein I of Jordan, Abdullah’s character constituted a blend of the traditionalist and the modern. His public career was predominately forward-looking and modern. This is exemplified by him being one of the first Arab leaders to adopt a system of constitutional monarchy during the early years following the formation of his country, and the need he felt - from his experience - for the participation and representation of his people.
Under the Hashemite banner and his father’s inspiration, Abdullah led the Arab forces of the Great Arab Revolt, with his brothers Ali, Feisal and Zeid against the Ottoman occupational forces. By the end of the First World War, they had liberated Damascus, modern Jordan and most of the Arabian peninsula. Following this conquest, Emirs Abdullah and Feisal assumed the thrones of Transjordan and Iraq respectively. Transjordan was formed on April 21, 1921 when King Abdullah established the first centralized governmental system out of a mostly tribal and nomadic society. Over the next thirty years, he focused on nation-building thus developing the institutional foundations of modern Jordan. With great purpose and vision, he sought autonomy and independence; establishing democratic legitimacy by promulgating Jordan’s first constitution in 1928 and holding elections for its first parliament in 1929. Also during these three decades, the King presided over a series of Anglo-Transjordanian treaties culminating in the March 22, 1946 Anglo-Transjordanian Treaty, ending the British mandate, gaining full independence and changing the name of the country to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, King Abdullah’s Jordanian Arab Legion was instrumental in the defense of Jerusalem and parts of Palestine. The Jordanian army displayed courage and heroism, and was widely acknowledged for its high level of professionalism, tenacity and bravery against a force superior in number and armament. The Arab Legion successfully routed the fortified Jewish forces from the Old City and secured East Jerusalem despite the subsequent determined but ineffectual Israeli offensives to remove the Jordanian Arab Legion. The war came to an end in mid-July, as a series of armistice agreements were signed between Arab parties and Israel at the Rhodes Conference. Jordan did not participate at Rhodes, but concluded its armistice with Israel directly on the ground.
On July 20, 1951 King Abdullah traveled to Jerusalem for his regular Friday prayers with his young grandson, Hussein. The King was assassinated by a lone gunman on the steps of one of the holiest shrines of Islam, and the jewel of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque. Miraculously, the bullet meant for Hussein deflected off a medal he was wearing, thereby saving his life. King Abdullah rests in the Royal Tombs in the Royal Court in Amman.
The murder of King Hussein’s grandfather had a profound influence on his life in terms of understanding the importance and inevitability of death, as well as a sense of the importance of his duty and responsibility in the years to come. In his autobiography, Uneasy Lies the Head, King Hussein recalls how three days before that fateful day in Jerusalem, his grandfather turned to him and said, "I hope you realize, my son, that one day you will have to assume responsibility. I look to you to do your very best to see that my work is not lost. I look to you to continue it in the service of our people." The young Prince promised solemnly that he would, to his best ability, carry out his duty. However, the King and the Prince could not have known how short was the time ahead.
http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/kingabd...
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May 5, 2020
In my quest to better understand the Middle East's history, this slim volume proved quite valuable. Abdallah I provides an illuminating description of from the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, its subsequent partition by the Great Powers, and the painful events of the 1940s and early 1950s. Abdallah paints a vivid picture of Arab disunity and even duplicity that thwarted his goal of uniting "Syria," the area between Palestine and Lebanon in the west and Iraq in the east. That he opted to omit certain details in the hope of sparing his Arab allies and adversaries alike embarrassment is regrettable. It is a well written memoir in spite of some heaviness of the Arabic-in-translation. His grandson King Hussein bin Talal provides an excellent and substantial introduction.
Displaying 1 of 1 review