Portal:Yemen/Selected biography/3

Ahmad bin Yahya Hamidaddin (Arabic: أحمد بن يحيى حميد الدين; June 18, 1891 – September 19, 1962) was the penultimate king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, who reigned from 1948 to 1962. His full name and title was H.M. al-Nasir-li-Dinullah Ahmad bin al-Mutawakkil 'Alallah Yahya, Imam and Commander of the Faithful, and King of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of the Yemen.

Ahmad's ruthless, arbitrary and inconsistent rule made him the subject of a coup attempt, frequent assassination attempts and eventually led to the downfall of the kingdom shortly after his death. His enemies ranged from ambitious family members to forward-looking pan-Arabists and Republicans and from them he was given the name "Ahmad the devil." He remained surprisingly popular among his subjects, particularly the northern tribesmen from whom he had the name "Big Turban". For his remarkable ability to narrowly escape numerous assassination attempts, he was known as al-Djinn. (Full article...)

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