Wednesday marks the 49th anniversary of the death of King Talal Bin Abdullah, father of His Majesty the late King Hussein and Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mohammad, Prince Hassan and Princess Basma.

Under the reign of King Talal, who passed away on July 7, 1972, the country prepared a new liberalised Constitution in 1952, which introduced a culture of Arab unity by declaring Jordan part of the Arab nation.

The Constitution also established a new relationship between the government and Parliament by obliging the former to be held accountable by the latter and to be responsible for its actions before the legislature.

In addition, the Constitution covered the implementation of the principles and objectives of the Great Arab Revolt, led by Sharif Hussein Bin Ali in the early 20th century against the Ottoman rule.

During King Talal’s reign, Jordan concluded important agreements, including a pan-Arab collective security agreement, and announced compulsory free education.

The introduction of compulsory free education, the first of its kind in Jordan and the Arab world, had a positive impact on the country’s future development.

Born in Mecca in 1909, King Talal studied at the British Military Academy, Sandhurst, and in 1929 became the first Jordanian officer to graduate from the institute.

As a member of the Arab Legion, he fought in battles between Arab and Israeli forces in Jerusalem, Ramallah and other Palestinian towns.

In 1934, he married Zein Al Sharaf, the late Queen Mother, who died in 1994.

King Talal assumed the Throne on September 6, 1951 shortly after the assassination of King Abdullah I on July 20, 1951 in Jerusalem.

Due to health reasons, he abdicated a year later on August 11, 1952 in favour of his eldest son, Prince Hussein.