Princess Nafissa

Princess Nafissa Khanum (died 14 July 1958) was an Arab princess from the Hashemite royal family. She was an important member of the Iraqi royal family during the 20th century. She was the mother of Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah and the grandmother of King Faisal II, who was the last king of Iraq. She was killed during the 14 July Revolution in 1958, the revolution that ended the royal government in Iraq.

Princess Nafissa was born in Mecca. Her father was Amir Abdullah bin Muhammad Pasha, who was an important leader and the Grand Sharif of Mecca. She grew up in a powerful Arab family.

In 1906, she married Ali bin Hussein in Yeniköy, a town near the Bosphorus in Turkey. Her husband was a very important man who later became the King of Hejaz from 1924 to 1925. However, in 1925, his kingdom was attacked and taken over by another powerful Arab family, the House of Saud. Because he lost his kingdom, Ali bin Hussein had to leave his home. After this, Princess Nafissa, her husband, and their children moved to Iraq to live with their royal relatives who ruled there.

In Iraq, Nafissa's family became the center of the country's royal leadership. In 1933, her daughter, Princess Aliya, married King Ghazi I of Iraq. This made her daughter the new Queen of Iraq. Nafissa's husband, Ali bin Hussein, died in 1935.

A few years later, in 1939, King Ghazi died in a car accident. Her young grandson, Faisal II, became the new King of Iraq. Because the king was just a young boy, Nafissa's son, 'Abd al-Ilah, became the Regent. A regent rules a country until the king is old enough. Because she was the mother of the Regent and the grandmother of the King, Princess Nafissa was a highly respected older woman in the royal palace.

On the morning of 14 July 1958, a group of rebel soldiers in the Iraqi army started a military revolution, called a coup, to overthrow the king. The rebel soldiers attacked the Al-Rihab Palace in Baghdad, where the royal family lived.

The palace guards saw that there were too many rebel soldiers and told the royal family that they could not win the fight. The rebels promised the royal family that they would not be hurt if they gave up peacefully. The rebels said they would take the family to the Ministry of Defense for their safety.

Trusting this promise, the royal family, including King Faisal II, Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, Princess Nafissa, Princess Abadiya, and Princess Hiyam, walked out the back door of the palace. As they walked through a line of rebel soldiers in the courtyard, the soldiers suddenly started shooting at them. The King, the Crown Prince, Princess Nafissa, and Princess Abadiya were all shot and killed. Only Princess Hiyam survived the shooting because she was only hit in the leg.^[1]

History books say that the rebel leaders had already decided to kill the men, but they had not made a clear decision about killing the women. However, the soldiers shot everyone in the confusion.^[2] After the shooting, the bodies were put into cars to be taken away. This sad event completely ended the royal family's rule in Iraq.

Princess Nafissa had one son and four daughters. Her children were:

• Princess Khadija Abadiya (born 1907 – died 14 July 1958): She was killed with her mother during the 1958 royal massacre.
• Princess Aliya (born 1911 – died 21 December 1950): She married King Ghazi I and became the Queen of Iraq.
• Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah (born 14 November 1913 – died 14 July 1958): He was the Crown Prince and Regent of Iraq. He was killed in the 1958 massacre.
• Princess Badiya (born June 1920 – died 9 May 2020): She survived the revolution because she was not in the palace. She married Sharif Al-Hussein bin Ali and lived to be 100 years old.^[3]
• Princess Jalila (born 1923 – died 28 December 1955): She married Dr. Ahmad Hazim Bey.

• Huzaima bint Nasser