Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999.
He was born on January 30, 1962, in Amman, Jordan.
Abdullah was the first child of King Hussein and his second wife, Princess Muna. As the king’s eldest son, Abdullah was heir apparent until Hussein transferred the title to Abdullah’s uncle, Prince Hassan, in 1965.
Abdullah began his schooling in Amman, continuing his education abroad. He began his military career in 1980 as a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, later assuming command of the country’s Special Forces in 1994, eventually becoming a major general in 1998.
He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty, which has been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921 and is considered a 41st-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
What did King Abdullah II of Jordan do?
The longest-serving current Arab leader, he was regarded by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre as the most influential Muslim in the world in 2016 and ranked fifth in 2022.
Abdullah is the custodian of the Muslim and Christian sacred sites in Jerusalem, a position held by his dynasty since 1924.