Princess
Lalla
Lalla ( 720–790 CE) was an Indian Indian mathematics, 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 Scientif ...
Fatima Zohra (29 June 1929 – 10 August 2014) was the eldest daughter of
Mohammed V of Morocco
Mohammed al-Khamis bin Yusef bin Hassan al-Alawi, better known simply as Mohammed V (10 August 1909 – 26 February 1961), was the last Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953 and from 1955 to 1957, and first King of Morocco from 1957 to 1961. A ...
and his first wife,
Lalla Hanila bint Mamoun
Princess Lalla Hanila bint Mamoun was the first wife of Mohammed V of Morocco, who reigned from 1927 to 1961. Lalla Hanila is the mother of Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra. Life
Lalla Hanila is the daughter of Prince Moulay Mohammed el-Mamoun, son ...
.
Biography
Lalla Fatima Zahra was born at the
Royal Palace of Rabat
The Royal Palace or Dar al-Makhzen (, ) is the primary and official residence of the king of Morocco in Rabat. It is situated in the commune of . Its official name is ''El Mechouar Essaid'', .
History
The 'Alawi sultans and kings have maintained ...
, her parents Sultan
Sidi Mohammed ben Youssef and Princess
Lalla Hanila bint Mamoun
Princess Lalla Hanila bint Mamoun was the first wife of Mohammed V of Morocco, who reigned from 1927 to 1961. Lalla Hanila is the mother of Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra. Life
Lalla Hanila is the daughter of Prince Moulay Mohammed el-Mamoun, son ...
divorced shortly after her birth. She is the eldest of her father's children. Young, during the summer holidays she would join her father, the Sultan, at the royal palace of
Oualidia and spend there the holidays with her half-siblings.
On 16 August 1961 (in a triple ceremony with her sisters,
Aisha
Aisha bint Abi Bakr () was a seventh century Arab commander, politician, Muhaddith, muhadditha and the third and youngest wife of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Aisha had an important role in early Islamic h ...
,
Malika and their husbands) she was married at the Dar al-Makhzen in
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
to her cousin, Prince
Moulay Ali Alaoui (1924–1988), ambassador of
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
to France (1964–1966). The couple have one daughter and two sons:
*
Princess Lalla Joumala (born 1962), former ambassador of Morocco to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and ambassador of Morocco to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
since 2016.
*
Sharif Moulay Abdallah (born c. 1965);
*
Sharif Moulay Youssef (born c. 1969);
She became a widow in 1988.
Actions and sponsorships
She adopted
Abdelkebir Ouaddar aged eight to the Moroccan royal family, when he was playing street football with her sons in his native village. He learned horse riding around the age of 12 thanks to Lalla Fatima Zohra, who allowed him to ride horses twice a week.
Death and burial
She died in
Tétouan
Tétouan (, or ) is a city in northern Morocco. It lies along the Martil Valley and is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea, a few miles south of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about E.S.E. of Tangier. In the 2014 Morocc ...
, on the morning of August 10, 2014,
at the age of 85
(her birth believed in 1929). King
Mohammed VI canceled the ceremonies planned for his birthday due to the hardship that the loss of his aunt represent, and of her place in the royal family and the Moroccan people.
She is buried in the Moulay Al Hassan mausoleum, in the royal palace of Rabat, after the
al-Asr prayer.
Honours
National honours
* Dame Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Throne
The Order of the Throne () 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 Hassan II of Morocco, who reigned between 1961 and 199 ...
.
*
Order of Muhammad
The Order of Muhammad, also referred to as Order of Sovereignty (, French: ''Ordre de la Souveraineté'' or ''Ordre de Mohammed''), is the highest state decoration of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Order was instituted on 16 November 1956 by King ...
, 2nd Class (2007).
References
Moroccan princesses
2014 deaths
People from Rabat
Moroccan exiles in Madagascar
Commanders of the Legion of Honour
Daughters of kings
Daughters of Moroccan sultans
{{Morocco-bio-stub