Surviving Assassination Attempts, Riches, & Inventions: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About MENA Region Royals

Royalty is rare in this day and age, but in the past, the whole MENA region had a multitude of monarchs, this article will share some of the little-known facts about the Kings from the MENA Region.

King Hussein of Jordan Survived An Assassination Attempt Thanks To An Item Of Clothing

Assassination attempts aren’t uncommon when it comes to leaders of state, that’s why they usually have a security detail and wear something to protect themselves during public appearances, but back in 1951, King Hussein of Jordan had a harrowing experience.

We’re cheating with this one a little because he was Prince Hussein at the time.. The then prince and his grandfather, King Abdullah, were in Palestine and attending the Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. As they entered, an assassin hiding within the crowd was able to slip through security and shoot the king with a revolver killing him, he also shot the prince before security subdued him.

Interestingly, the prince’s life was saved due to the bullet hitting a medal on his chest, which he wore upon his grandfather’s insistence that day.

King Abdullah II of Jordan and King Mohammed VI of Morocco Are Related

King Abdullah II of Jordan is from the Hashemite dynasty, which claims its roots go back all the way to the Caliph Al-Hassan, Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, and ultimately the Prophet himself. King Mohammed VI of Morocco is a part of the ‘Alawi dynasty, which also claims that its roots go as far as Prophet Mohammed through his grandson Al-Hassan. This situation makes both families have the same ancestors making them related by blood.

5 Of The Top 10 Richest Monarchs In The World Are From The MENA Region

Within the world of monarchs, those from the MENA region are some of the wealthiest worldwide, there’s even a saying that goes, “there’s rich, and then there’s Arab rich” meaning that the Arabs take the meaning of wealth to another level.

While we don’t have a new list from a confirmed source for the current standings, the last one was from 2019 as per Business Insider, which stated that in Forbes’ list, five out of the ten richest monarchs in the world are from the MENA region.

In tenth place is Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the current ruler of Qatar with a $1.2 to 2.1 billion net worth, in the seventh spot is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Prime Minister of the UAE with a $4 billion net worth, and then there’s King Mohammed VI of Morocco in fifth place with between $2.1 to $8.2 billion.

The final two were the late former UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan with a net worth of $15 billion in the fourth spot, and in third place is King Salman of Saudi Arabia, with a total net worth of $18 billion at that time.

The Current King Of Saudi Arabia Is Almost As Old As The Country Itself

The unification of all the territories within the Najd and Hijaz regions in the Arabian peninsula was finalized in 1932, creating what we now know as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the same time, the current Saudi King, Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud was born on 31 December 1935, meaning that he was two years old when the kingdom was established. This info also means that most of the King’s predecessors were born before Saudi Arabia was established, making them one of the most powerful royals to control a nation.

Late King Hassan II Of Morocco Was A King & An Inventor

The late King Hassan II Of Morocco originally studied law and got a master’s degree in public law from the University of Bordeaux in France, but he always liked medical science and inventions. He made history in the 1990s, becoming the first monarch to patent an invention in the US when he submitted an invention of his to get registered.

According to the New York Times, the King invented a system to study heart performance that combines videotape and an electrocardiogram. The device is intended to improve doctors’ ability to study a person’s heart behavior while they exercise.

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