His Majesty King Abdullah I, the founding king, was born in Mecca on 4 April 1882. Since early childhood, Prince Abdullah was familiar with the history of tribes and the customs and traditions of Bedouins. These early cultural experiences had a profound effect on his character later on, with Raghadan Palace, built in Amman in 1927, becoming a destination for intellectuals and poets with whom he exchanged poetry and debated.

King Abdullah I received his education in Mecca and Istanbul, where he gained political experience and became one of the Great Arab Revolt’s leaders.

With the end the Arab rule in Damascus after the Battle of Maysaloun on 24 July 1920, telegrams of distress came from the Syrians to his father, Sharif Hussein. Therefore, Prince Abdullah offered to go to the outskirts of Syria to get a close look at the situation and help the Syrians. Leading a military force, he left Mecca and arrived in Maan on 21 November 1920.

Meanwhile, the national movement emerged in Transjordan, and delegations of its leaders went to Maan to welcome the prince and invite him to advance north to Amman.

In response to the people’s call, Prince Abdullah moved to Amman, arriving there on 2 March 1921. The British Minister Winston Churchill invited Prince Abdullah to meet him in Jerusalem. It was then agreed that Britain would recognise an independent emirate in Transjordan under its mandate. Thus, the establishment of the independent Jordanian emirate was a result of the Great Arab Revolt.

Prince Abdullah bin Al Hussein led Transjordan with a focus on development. Therefore, the country witnessed a comprehensive renaissance during his reign, and Jordan gained its full independence on 25 May 1946, with Prince Abdullah proclaimed King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

History, the free people of Jordan, and the Arab nation proudly record the role of the founding king in protecting Jordan from the plans that targeted its Arab identity and freedom.

His Majesty King Abdullah I, may his soul rest in peace, was the first to lay the foundations of democracy, and the first to call for political pluralism at that stage, as Jordan witnessed the establishment of the first political party, the Arab Independence Party, at the beginning of his rule.

On Friday, 20 July 1951, the founding King was martyred in the holy land of Jerusalem at the steps of Al Aqsa Mosque as he was headed with his grandson, later King Hussein bin Talal, to perform the Friday prayer.