Jordan Times
Friday, July 7, 2006
King Talal remembered
AMMAN (JT) — Today marks the 34th anniversary of
the death of His Majesty the late King Talal Ben Abdullah, father of His Majesty
the late King Hussein and Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mohammad, Prince Hassan
and Princess Basma.
Under King Talal’s reign, the country prepared a new, liberalised Constitution
in 1952, which introduced a culture of Arab unity by declaring Jordan as part of
the Arab nation. The Constitution also established a new relationship between
the government and the Parliament by obliging the former to answer to the latter
and be responsible for its actions before the legislature.
The Constitution also covered the implementation of the principles and
objectives of the Great Arab Revolt, led by Sharif Hussein Ben Ali in the early
20th century.
A major achievement during King Talal’s reign was that elementary education
became free and mandatory, triggering the education revolution that changed the
face of Jordan.
Also during his rule, Jordan concluded important agreements, one of which was a
pan-Arab collective security agreement.
King Talal, born in Mecca in 1909, studied at the British military academy,
Sandhurst, and in 1929 became the first Jordanian officer to graduate from the
institute.
In 1934, he married Zein Al Sharaf, the late Queen Mother, who died in 1994.
King Talal assumed the Throne shortly after the assassination of King Abdullah I
on July 20, 1951.
Due to health reasons he abdicated a year later on Aug. 11, 1952 in favour of
his eldest son Prince Hussein.
King Talal died on July 7, 1972.