Princess

Lalla Lalla ( 720–790 CE) was an Indian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer who belonged to a family of astronomers. Lalla was the son of Trivikrama Bhatta and the grandson of Śâmba."Lalla." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. He liv ...

Amina (8 April 1954 – 16 August 2012) was a member of the Moroccan royal family and former President of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Equestrian Sports.

Early life and education

Lalla Amina was born in

Antsirabe Antsirabe () is the third largest city in Madagascar and the capital of the Vakinankaratra region, with a population of 265,018 in 2014. In Madagascar, Antsirabe is known for its relatively cool climate (like the rest of the central region), it ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

on 8 April 1954. She was the youngest sister of the King

Hassan II of Morocco Hassan II ( ar, الحسن الثاني, translit=al-Ḥasan aṯ-ṯhānī;), with the prefix "Mulay" before his enthronement 9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was the King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Ala ...

, and daughter of King

Mohammed V of Morocco Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

and his third wife, Lalla Bahia bint Antar. She was born while the royal family was in exile. Mina (as she was nicknamed) was the only child of King Mohammed V of Morocco to have French papers. Upon the royal family's return to Morocco,

Malika Oufkir Malika Oufkir ( ar, مليكة أوفقير) (born April 2, 1953 in Marrakesh) is a Moroccan Berber writer and former "disappeared". She is the daughter of General Mohamed Oufkir and a cousin of fellow Moroccan writer and actress Leila Shenna. ...

, daughter of a favored general, was informally adopted into the Royal family to be a companion to the princess. Lalla Amina lived in a separate villa to be raised more normally and away from court intrigue and jealousy. Her villa included a private movie theater, a zoo, and her own primary school. She attended Royal College and the

University of Rabat Mohammed V University (, french: Université Mohammed-V de Rabat), in Rabat, Morocco, was founded in 1957 under a royal decree (Moroccan Dahir, Dahir). It is the first modern university in Morocco after the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez. H ...

Marriage

In 1974, Lalla Amina was married to the doctor Sharif Moulay Idris Al Wazani and had one daughter, Sharifa Lalla Sumaya Al Wazani. Her husband died early on allowing Lalla Amina to pursue true "reason for living"– horses.

Activities and awards

Throughout her life she was an avid hunter and equestrian. Lalla Amina was President of the Moroccan Royal Federation of Equestrian Sports from 1999 up until her death in 2012. In 1980, she set up a private breeding stable in Sidi Brini and launched the famous Week of the Horse held in Rabat. She was also Chairwoman of Special Olympics Morocco and member of Special Olympics Board of Directors. She was awarded the

Order of Muhammad The Order of Muhammad, also referred to as Order of Sovereignty ( ar, وسام المحمدي, Wissam al-Mohammadi, French: ''Ordre de la Souveraineté'' or ''Ordre de Mohammed''), is the highest state decoration of the Kingdom of Morocco. The O ...

Second Class in 2007.

Death and funeral

Laila Amina died after a four month battle with lung cancer in Rabat on 16 August 2012. Her funeral prayers were performed after Al Asr prayer at the Ahl Fez mosque on 17 August 2012. Her body was buried at the Moulay El Hassan Mausoleum at the Royal Palace in Rabat.

Honours

National honours

* Dame Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Throne The Order of the Throne (Arabic: ''Wissam al-Arch'', French: ''Ordre du Trône'') is a state decoration of the Kingdom of Morocco awarded for distinguished services of a civil or military nature. The Order was instituted on 16 May 1963 by King H ...

. * Grand Officer of the

(2007).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lalla Amina of Morocco 20th-century Moroccan people 21st-century Moroccan people 1954 births 2012 deaths Daughters of kings Mohammed V University alumni Moroccan exiles in Madagascar Moroccan female equestrians Moroccan princesses People from Antananarivo People from Rabat