Ghazi of Iraq
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghazi ibn Faisal (Arabic: غازي Ġāzī ibn Fayṣal) (March 21, 1912 - April 4, 1939) was king of Iraq from 1933 to 1939. He was born in Mecca (in present-day Saudi Arabia), the son of Faisal I, the first king of Iraq.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
As Ghazi was the only son of Faisal I (after three daughters), he was left to take care of his grandfather, Hussein ibn Ali, the Grand Sharif of Mecca, while his father was busy in his campaigns and travels. He therefore grew up, unlike his wordly father, a shy and inexperienced young man. He left the Hijaz to Jordan with the rest of the Hashimites in 1924 after their defeat by the forces of Ibn Sa'ud. He came to Baghdad at the same year and was appointed as the crown prince. When he was 16 Ghazi was taken for his first airplane flight by the American adventurer Richard Halliburton and pilot Moye Stephens. They stopped in Samarra and had a picnic atop the famed spiral minaret. The King's steward had prepared a basket for them. The three dined upon roast fowl, olives, Othmani quinces, peaches, and melons and wine. This was augmented by a platter of rice, curried sheep and unleavened bread and gapes brought by city officials.
[edit] As King of Iraq
On the 8 September 1933 King Faisal died and Ghazi was crowned as Ghazi I. On the same day, Ghazi was appointed Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Iraqi Navy, Field Marshal of the Royal Iraq Army and Marshal of the Royal Iraqi Air Force. A staunch pan-Arab nationalist, opposed to British interests in his country, Ghazi's reign was characterized by tensions between civilians and the army, which sought control of the government. He supported General Bakr Sidqi in his coup, which replaced the civilian government with a military one. This was the first coup d'état to take place in the Arab world. He was rumored to harbor sympathies for Nazi Germany and also put forth a claim for Kuwait to be annexed to Iraq. For this purpose he had his own radio station in al-Zuhoor royal palace in which he promoted that claim. He died in 1939 in a mysterious accident involving a sports car he was driving. Some believe he was killed on the orders of Nuri as-Said. His son Faisal succeeded him.
[edit] See also
An account of a young prince Ghazi's experience flying over his country can be found in Richard Halliburton's The Flying Carpet.
[edit] Reference
- Ali, Tariq. Bush in Babylon: the Recolonisation of Iraq. W.W. Norton, 2003. ISBN 1-85984-583-5.
| Preceded by King Faisal I |
King of Iraq 1933-1939 |
Succeeded by King Faisal II |
