Ismail Hussein Chirine (Arabic: إسماعيل شيرين; 17 October 1919 – 14 June 1994) was an Egyptian royal diplomat. He served very briefly as Egypt's Minister of War in July 1952. His ancestors had relations to the Muhammad Ali dynasty.[1]
| Ismail Chirine | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 With wife Princess Fawzia | |||||
| Born | 17 October 1919 Alexandria, Sultanate of Egypt | ||||
| Died | 14 June 1994 (aged 74) Alexandria, Egypt | ||||
| Burial | Cairo, Egypt | ||||
| Spouse | Princess Fawzia | ||||
| Issue | Nadia Chirine Hussein Chirine | ||||
| |||||
| House | Muhammad Ali Dynasty | ||||
| Father | Hussein Chirine | ||||
| Mother | Amina Bahrouz Fadel | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
| Military career | |||||
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Egypt | ||||
| Service | Army | ||||
| Years of service | 1939–1952 | ||||
| Rank | Colonel Honorary Field Marshal | ||||
| Unit | Cavalry | ||||
| Battles / wars | World War II 1948 Arab–Israeli War | ||||
Early life and education
editChirine was born in Alexandria on 17 October 1919 to Hussein Chirine Pasha (died 1934) and Princess Amineh Bahrouz Fazil (1886–1947), a member of a cadet branch of the Egyptian royal family.[2] After their divorce, his mother married Ali Rateb, from Alexandria, and his father married Gulsun Hanem Aflaton. His uncle and guardian was the governor of Cairo.[3] From the age of 12, Chirine preferred to live with his aunt Zeinab Chirine, wife of Haidar Pasha.
He was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria, Great Chesterfield College and Trinity College, Cambridge.[2][4]
Career
editChirine assumed different public posts in Egypt. When Chirine returned from the United Kingdom he firstly worked for the Bank El Ahly El Masry. Later he became an officer in the army, where his proficiency in the English language was useful during negotiations in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, together with Rahmani Bey who later became ambassador to Czechoslovakia. Chirine became colonel in the army. He was a member of Egypt's delegation to the 1949 Armistice Agreements in Rhodes. In 1948, he served as secretary of Egyptian delegation to the United Nations.[5] Then he acted as aide-de-champ of King Farouk.[6] In 1949 he served as the press officer for the cabinet.[3] He was appointed Defense Minister of during the reign of King Farouk, Chirine was the last Defense Minister of Kingdom of Egypt.[2] In 1940s Chirine became the first to hold the position of Vice President of Zamalek SC.
Personal life
editChirine married Princess Fawzia, the sister of King Farouk, in March 1949, five months after the Princess's divorce from the Shah of Iran.[5][7] The wedding ceremony was held in Koubba Palace.[8] Following the wedding they lived in an estate owned by the Princess in Maadi.[8] They also resided in a villa in Smouha.[9]
They had two children, Nadia (19 December 1950[6] – October 2009) and Hussein (born 1955 – died 2016).[citation needed] Their daughter, Nadia, married firstly Egyptian actor Yusuf Shabaan[9] and secondly Mustafa Rashid.
He lived the rest of his life in Alexandria, tending his property in the South of Egypt and spending summers in Switzerland, to allow his wife to meet her eldest daughter, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi.
Death
editChirine died at the military hospital in Alexandria on 14 June 1994 at the age of 74.[citation needed] He was buried in Cairo.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Princess wed by proxy". Daytona Beach Morning. Cairo. UPI. 29 March 1949. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ^ a b c Sahar Hamouda; Colin Clement (2002). Victoria College : A history revealed. American Univ in Cairo Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-977-424-756-9. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Shah of Iran's Ex-wife to Marry Again..." The Pittsburgh Press. Cairo. UP. 27 March 1949. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- ^ "Princess Fawzia engaged". The Indian Express. 28 March 1949. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Bride absent from wedding". Saskatoon Star Phoenix. Cairo. Associated Press. 31 March 1949. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Girl is born to Princess Fawzia". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Cairo. Associated Press. 20 December 1950. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ^ "Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt". The Daily Telegraph. London. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Princess Fawzia weds diplomat". Meriden Record. 29 March 1949. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- ^ a b Sami, Soheir (4–10 June 1998). "Profile: Youssef Shaaban". Al Ahram Weekly (380). Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ Ghazal, Rym (8 July 2013). "A forgotten Egyptian Princess remembered". The National. Retrieved 16 July 2013.