
Raghadan Palace is a crown
palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
located in the Royal Court compound of
Al-Maquar in
Amman,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...
. Constructed in 1926, the property became the residence of
King Abdullah I who would go on to order the construction of several more palaces in the surrounding area. The palace is constructed in a
traditional Islamic style, with colored glass windows modeled on the
al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...
in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Raghadan Palace is used for hosting meetings with visiting
heads of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
and for other ceremonial events, including the presentation and acceptance of new ambassadors'
diplomatic credentials, and for replies to the
speech from the throne
A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining t ...
following the state opening of
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...
.
In 2006, for example, President
George W. Bush met with
King Abdullah II
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of ...
there.
The palace cost £1,600 to build in 1926. It was renovated in the late 1980s following a fire in 1983. The
current monarch does not live at the property.
The palace is guarded by a ceremonial unit of
Circassian guards, who also patrol the Basman Palace.
An image of the palace appears on 50-dinar banknotes of the
Jordanian dinar
The Jordanian dinar ( ar, دينار أردني; code: JOD; unofficially abbreviated as JD) has been the currency of Jordan since 1950. The dinar is divided into 10 dirhams, 100 qirsh (also called piastres) or 1000 fulus. It is pegged to the US ...
.
[''Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues, 1961-Present'' (21st ed., F+W Media, 2015). Ed. George S. Cuhaj. p. 572.]
References
Buildings and structures in Amman
Houses completed in 1926
Architecture in Jordan
Palaces in Jordan
Burial sites of the House of Hashim
1926 establishments in Transjordan
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