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Jordan

Jordanian Royal Family celebrate Jordan’s independence day

His Majesty King Abdullah attended the official national celebration marking Jordan’s 72nd Independence Day, on Thursday 24.

The King, along with Her Majesty Queen Rania, Princess Muna, Crown Prince Hussein, and Princess Salma, were greeted by the national anthem as they arrived at the Al Husseiniya Palace. As happened at last year’s Independence Day celebrations, the artillery fired a 21-gun salute for the King while he acknowledged the guards of honour that were queued to salute him.

The Jordanian Prime Minister, Senate President, Lower House Speaker, and Judicial Council President gave speeches praising the country’s achievements since it gained independence from the Commonwealth in 1946. The heads of authorities stressed that the achievements that have made the distinctive country it is today were down to the hardworking people of Jordan and not just the leadership, starting from the reign of King Abdullah I.

The Kingdom gained its full independence on 25 May 1946, following the end of the British mandate. Its name was changed then from Emirate of Transjordan to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Mohammad Al-Ghazu, the president of the Judicial Council, said that 25 May 1946 was a turning point in the history of Jordan when the development and good governance began.

During the celebration, the King awarded 16 medals to national organisations, institutions and a number of individual pioneers for their hard work building the country and strengthening its recent progress, and watched a short film praising their achievements. The Nashmi Centre for Youth Empowerment and  University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies were two of the institutions recognised.  

On Independence Day, His Majesty King Abdullah tweeted “This country has built the Jordanians and Jordanians who have made independence and maintained it generation after generation, and it is our duty to continue building to keep our motherland free and proud, a beacon of dignity and glory. God save Jordan and Jordanians”