Farida of Egypt
Encyclopedia
Queen Farida, born Safinaz Zulficar (September 5, 1921 – October 16, 1988) (Arabic
: صافيناز ذوالفقار) was the Queen consort
of Egypt
and the first wife of King Farouk.
. Her father, judge Youssef Zulficar Pasha
, was vice president of the Alexandria Mixed Court of Appeals and was of Turko-Circassian origin. She had as a maternal grandfather prime minister Muhammad Said Pasha
who was of Turkish
origin and was the niece of renowned artist Mahmoud Saiid. She attended elementary and primary education at Notre Dame de Sion in Alexandria
, a school run by French nuns.
At the age of sixteen, she married King Farouk on 20 January 1938 at the Saraya el-Kubba in Cairo
, Egypt
. She was renamed Farida in accordance with the tradition initiated by King Fuad I
that members of the royal family should bear the same initials. She had three daughters: HRH Princess Ferial
, HRH Princess Fawzia
and HRH Princess Fadia
. After the birth of a third daughter, Farouk divorced her, on 19 November 1948. Thereafter she lived in Lebanon (in 1963-1968), and Paris
(1968–1974) until she returned to Egypt in 1974, during the presidency of Anwar Al-Sadat. She remained unmarried after the divorce and eventually died of leukemia
on 17 October 1988, aged 67, in Cairo.
An artist, she had personal exhibitions in Europe and USA.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: صافيناز ذوالفقار) was the Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and the first wife of King Farouk.
Personal life
She was born in 1921 to an Egyptian noble family in Gianaclis, AlexandriaAlexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. Her father, judge Youssef Zulficar Pasha
Youssef Zulficar Pasha
Youssef Zulficar Pasha was an Egyptian judge. He was the father of Queen Farida of Egypt and thus father-in-law of King Farouk I....
, was vice president of the Alexandria Mixed Court of Appeals and was of Turko-Circassian origin. She had as a maternal grandfather prime minister Muhammad Said Pasha
Muhammad Said Pasha
Muhammad Said Pasha , was Prime Minister of Egypt from 1910 to 1914, and again in 1919. He was born in Alexandria to a family of Turkish origin.-References:...
who was of Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
origin and was the niece of renowned artist Mahmoud Saiid. She attended elementary and primary education at Notre Dame de Sion in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, a school run by French nuns.
At the age of sixteen, she married King Farouk on 20 January 1938 at the Saraya el-Kubba in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. She was renamed Farida in accordance with the tradition initiated by King Fuad I
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, Kordofan, and Darfur. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, he became Sultan of Egypt and Sudan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Sultan Hussein Kamel...
that members of the royal family should bear the same initials. She had three daughters: HRH Princess Ferial
Princess Farial of Egypt
HRH Princess Ferial Farouk was the eldest child of Egypt's penultimate monarch, King Farouk. Her birth was marked by nationwide celebratory events which included the distribution of clothes and free breakfasts to thousands of the poor...
, HRH Princess Fawzia
Princess Fawzia Farouk of Egypt
HRH Princess Fawzia was the second daughter of King Farouk I of Egypt and his first wife Queen Farida.Born in Abdeen Palace in Cairo in the fourth year of her father's reign, Fawzia was named after her paternal aunt, who was reportedly King Farouk's favourite sister...
and HRH Princess Fadia
Princess Fadia of Egypt
HRH Princess Fadia Farouk was born at the Abdeen Palace in Cairo, as the youngest daughter of the late King Farouk of Egypt and his first wife, the former Queen Farida. After her father was deposed during the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the Princess lived in Italy for two years...
. After the birth of a third daughter, Farouk divorced her, on 19 November 1948. Thereafter she lived in Lebanon (in 1963-1968), and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1968–1974) until she returned to Egypt in 1974, during the presidency of Anwar Al-Sadat. She remained unmarried after the divorce and eventually died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
on 17 October 1988, aged 67, in Cairo.
Children
- HRH Princess Ferial (1938–2009)
- HRH Princess Fawzia (1940–2005)
- HRH Princess Fadia (1943–2002)
Public role
Queen Farida was born in a time in which motherhood was the only priority of a woman. The birth of a throne heir was especially important. However due to rising influence of the west, the role of the first lady rose to higher grounds. The first lady became an honorary title bearing with it duties of attending charities, fundraisers, commemorations and receiving foreign dignitaries. Queen Farida accepted chair of the Red Crescent Society and was also honorary president of the Feminist Union and the New Woman Alliance. She was also patron of the Egyptian Girl Guide Company which had an important role in community affairs.An artist, she had personal exhibitions in Europe and USA.