His Majesty the late King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, the Founder
His Majesty King Abdullah I, may God bless his soul, was born in Mecca on April 4, 1882. From his childhood, he was deeply interested in the history of tribes, familiarizing himself with the customs, traditions, and culture of the Bedouins, which greatly influenced his personality later on. As a result, Raghadan Palace, built in Amman in 1927, became a hub for intellectuals, writers, and Arab poets.
Abdullah bin Hussein bin Ali received his education in Mecca and Istanbul. The former instilled in him deep faith and a central consciousness of carrying the aspirations and hopes of Muslims, while the latter endowed him with shrewdness and wisdom.
His Majesty's personality embodied political expertise and an exceptional ability to navigate crises and make decisive interventions. He was one of the leaders of the Great Arab Revolt. After Faisal was declared King of Syria, Abdullah stayed with his father in Mecca. However, the end of the Arab government in Damascus after the Battle of Maysalun on July 24, 1920, prompted him to move to East Jordan to keep the flag of the Arab Revolt flying and to establish a base for supporting the Arab rebels against the French Mandate and for the liberation of Syrian lands.
King Abdullah I came to Jordan as a fighter and died a martyr on the holy land of Jerusalem, defending it. His noble blood was shed at the thresholds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on July 20, 1951, near the tomb of his father, Sharif Hussein bin Ali, who sacrificed his throne rather than relinquish a speck of Jerusalem and Palestine's land. The founding King was on his way to the Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa, accompanied by his young grandson, Hussein bin Talal. This incident marked a turning point in his consciousness and thinking, as he described: 'On this day, the values of life and death equated for me.'
The founding King left behind several literary and political works, including 'My Memoirs,' 'Political Amali,' 'Who Am I,' 'Between Scattered Pearls and Rhymes,' and 'Answering the Inquirer about Purebred Horses,' collected in the book 'The Complete Works.
