Sultanah Hajah Bahiyah binti Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman (; 24 August 1930 – 26 August 2003) was the Sultanah of Malaysian State of Kedah from 1958 until her death in 2003 and served as the fifth

Raja Permaisuri Agong The Queen of Malaysia, officially ''Raja Permaisuri Agong'' ( Jawi: ) is the consort of the ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'', the elected, constitutional federal monarch of Malaysia. Title and precedence The queen's full style and title in Mala ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

from 21 September 1970 until 20 September 1975.

Early life

Tunku Bahiyah was born on 24 August 1930 in

Seri Menanti Seri Menanti (Negeri Sembilan Malay: or ) is a town, a mukim, and a state assembly constituency in Kuala Pilah District, central Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, located 33 km (20.5 m) east of the state capital city of Seremban and 14&nbs ...

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...

. She was the eldest daughter of

Tuanku Abdul Rahman '' Tuanku'' Sir Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad ( Jawi: ; 24 August 1895 – 1 April 1960) was the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan from 1933, and the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of the Federation of Malaya from 1957, unt ...

and his third wife Tunku Kurshiah, the

Yang di-Pertuan Besar In Malay, Yang di-Pertuan Besar or Yamtuan Besar literally ''"He Who Is Made Chief Ruler"'', is a title given to the head of state in parts of the Malay Archipelago. In Malaysia * Also known as Yamtuan Besar, it is the title of the elected mon ...

and the Tunku Ampuan Besar of

, who were then elected as the first

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The King of Malaysia, officially ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' ( Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), is the constitutional monarch and Figurehead, ceremonial head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained ...

and

. She received her education at a Malay School in

and the Seremban Convent School. She later furthered her studies in 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 received a degree in Social Science from

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

Marriage

Tunku Bahiyah married

Abdul Halim ʻAbd al-Ḥalīm (ALA-LC romanization of ) is a male Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Ḥalīm'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which gives rise to the Muslim theophori ...

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...

in 1956. The royal couple adopted the twin daughters of Tunku Hamidah (Tuanku Abdul Halim's eldest sister), Tunku Soraya and Tunku Sarina (born 30 April 1960, adopted 3 May 1960). Bahiyah gave birth to a daughter,

Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Binti Almarhum Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (born 22 July 1966) is the Tunku Temenggong of Kedah. She is the daughter of the 28th Sultan Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Sultanah Bahiyah. Early li ...

, on 22 July 1966. Tunku Soraya would go on to marry

Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain ibni Almarhum Sultan Idris A’fifullah Shah ( Jawi: راج إسكندر ذوالقرنين ابن المرحوم سلطان إدريس عفيف الله شاه; born 8 February 1955) is a member of the Perak Royal F ...

(the current ''Raja Di-Hilir'' of Perak) in 1986. Tunku Sarina died on 31 August 1991.

Becoming queen

In 1958, Tuanku Abdul Halim became

Sultan of Kedah The Kedah Sultanate () is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Union but was restored ...

. Tunku Bahiyah was installed as the Sultanah of Kedah on his ascension to the throne. From 1970 to 1975, she served her five-year term as

of Malaysia when Tuanku Abdul Halim became the fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Death

She died in her sleep at 12:23 pm of cancer and old age on 26 August 2003 at Istana Kuala Cegar,

Alor Setar Alor Setar ( Kedah Malay: ) is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is home to the third-tallest ...

. She was laid to rest at the

Langgar Royal Mausoleum Kedah Royal Mausoleum or Langgar Royal Mausoleum () is a royal burial ground in the Kedah state of Malaysia. It is located in Langgar, in Kota Setar District. List of graves Sultan graves * Sultan Haji Sir Abdullah Muadzam Shah ibni Alma ...

Awards and recognition

Sultanah Bahiyah was conferred various awards, both locally and abroad. In 1970,

Emperor Hirohito , Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

awarded her the First Class of the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

. Later in the same year, President Suharto of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

awarded her the First Class of the Order of the Star of Mahaputera. In 1973,

King Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any Thai monarch, the longest on record of any independent ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

awarded her the Grand Cross of the

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty and bears his name (จุลจอมเกล� ...

. Sultanah Bahiyah was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education by the

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

where she served as the Chancellor from 1972 until 1986. The general hospital in

which is also the main referral and tertiary health centre in Northern

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

was renamed in her honour to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital. A highway in

, Sultanah Bahiyah Highway ( Federal Route 255) was named after her. SMK Sultanah Bahiyah, a secondary school in Alor Setar was named after her. Sultanah Bahiyah Mosque, a mosque in Alor Setar was named after her. Sultanah Bahiyah Library of

Universiti Utara Malaysia Universiti Utara Malaysia (literally meaning Northern University of Malaysia, abbreviated as UUM or UNIUTAMA) is a public management university in Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia. It also has a branch campus in Kuala Lumpur. Its main campus, which is ...

was named after her. Tuanku Bahiyah Residential College, a residential college at

, Kuala Lumpur was named in honour of her.

Social contributions

Tuanku Hajah Bahiyah was the patron of various organisations such as: * Kedah Orchid Association * Blood Donors Association of Malaysia * Family Planning Association of Kedah * Children’s Welfare Organisation of Kedah * Islamic Women’s Welfare Organisation of Kedah * Lioness Club of Kedah * Netball Association of Kedah * Women’s Association of

(SUTRANITA) * Nottingham Graduates Association * Ex-Servicemen Widows and Wives Association (BAKIABAH) * Kedah Association for the Disabled * Kedah

Thalassaemia Thalassemias are a group of inherited blood disorders that manifest as the production of reduced hemoglobin. Symptoms depend on the type of thalassemia and can vary from none to severe, including death. Often there is mild to severe anemia (lo ...

Association * Association of Sultanah Bahiyah Secondary School Students

Honours

She has been awarded:

Honours of Kedah

* Member of the

Royal Family Order of Kedah The Most Illustrious Royal Family Order of Kedah () is the highest dynastic order of the House of Sri Mahawangsa and the second highest chivalric order of the state of Kedah ranking immediately after the State of Kedah Star of Valour. The order w ...

(DK) (29 February 1964) * Member of the

Halimi Family Order of Kedah The Most Illustrious Halimi Family Order of Kedah (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kerabat Halimi Yang Amat Mulia Kedah'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Kedah History It was founded by Sultan 'Abdu'l Halim Mu'azzam Shah of Kedah in January& ...

(DKH) (January 1976) * Knight Grand Commander of the

Exalted Order of the Crown of Kedah The Most Illustrious Order of the Crown of Kedah (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Yang Maha Mulia Sri Mahkota Kedah'') is an honorific order of the Kedah Sultanate, Sultanate of Kedah History It was founded by Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah on 21 February ...

(SPMK) – Dato' Seri (19 February 1971)

Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Recipient of the

Order of the Crown of the Realm The Most Exalted Order of the Crown of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award. It is ranked lower than the Order of the Royal Family of Malaysia. It should not be confused with the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia. Classes and re ...

(DMN) (19 February 1971) ** Grand Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(SMN) – Tun (19 February 1959) * : **

Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor - ribbon bar

First Class of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DK I) (February 1989) * : ** MY-KEL Royal Family Order - Star of Yunus - DK

Recipient of the

Royal Family Order of Kelantan The Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Kelantan or the Star of Yunus ( Malay: ''Darjah Kerabat Yang Amat Di-Hormati'' or ''Bintang Al-Yunusi'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Kelantan. History Instituted on 9 August 1916, this ord ...

(DK) (August 1996) * : ** MY-NEG Royal Family Order of Negeri Sembilan - DKNS

Member of the

Royal Family Order of Negeri Sembilan The Most Illustrious Royal Family Order of Negeri Sembilan () is the highest chivalric and dynastic order of the state of Negeri Sembilan. The order was established on 24 May 1979 by Yamtuan Besar Ja'afar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Ja'afar to re ...

(DKNS) (August 1996)

Foreign Honours

* : **

1st Class of the

Star of Mahaputera Star of Mahaputera (Indonesian language, Indonesian:''Bintang Mahaputera'') is the second highest honorary award awarded by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, one level below the Star of the Republic of Indonesia. This honorary award was ...

(''Bintang Mahaputera Adipurna'') (16 March 1970) *

Imperial State of Iran Imperial is that which relates to an empire, Emperor, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania ...

: **

Order of the Pleiades Ribbon Bar - Imperial Iran

1st class of the Order of the Pleiades (1974) ** 25th Centennial Anniversary Medal Ribbon Bar - Imperial Iran

Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (14 October 1971).Badraie
* : ** Dame Grand Cordon of the

(1970) * : ** Dame Grand Cross of the

(1 February 1973)

References

External links

Tuanku Bahiyah Residential College
official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Bahiyah, Sultanah 1930 births 2003 deaths Malaysian people of Minangkabau descent Malaysian Muslims People from Negeri Sembilan Royal House of Kedah Kedah royal consorts Alumni of the University of Nottingham Deaths from cancer in Malaysia Members of the Royal Family Order of Kedah Members of the Halimi Family Order of Kedah Knights Grand Commander of the Exalted Order of the Crown of Kedah Grand Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Royal House of Negeri Sembilan Queens consort of Malaysia Recipients of the Order of the Crown of the Realm Daughters of monarchs