Ismail Chirine Explained

Ismail Chirine
Spouse:Princess Fawzia
Issue:Nadia Chirine
Hussein Chirine
Full Name:Ismail Hussein Chirine Bey
House:Muhammad Ali Dynasty
Father:Hussein Chirine
Mother:Amina Bahrouz Fadel
Birth Date:17 October 1919
Birth Place:Alexandria, Sultanate of Egypt
Death Place:Alexandria, Egypt
Burial Place:Cairo, Egypt
Religion:Islam
Module:
Embed:yes
Branch:Army
Serviceyears:1939–1952
Unit:Cavalry
Battles:World War II
1948 Arab–Israeli War

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]

Early life and education

Chirine 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. 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] [3]

Career

Chirine 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. Then he acted as aide-de-champ of King Farouk. In 1949 he served as the press officer for the cabinet.[4] 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

Chirine married Princess Fawzia, the sister of King Farouk, in March 1949, five months after the Princess's divorce from the Shah of Iran.[5] [6] The wedding ceremony was held in Koubba Palace.[7] Following the wedding they lived in an estate owned by the Princess in Maadi.[7] They also resided in a villa in Smouha.

They had two children, Nadia (19 December 1950[8] – October 2009) and Hussein (born 1955 – died 2016). 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

Chirine died at the military hospital in Alexandria on 14 June 1994 at the age of 74. He was buried in Cairo.[10]

Notes and References

  1. News: Princess wed by proxy. 5 February 2013. Daytona Beach Morning. 29 March 1949. UPI. Cairo.
  2. Book: Sahar Hamouda. Colin Clement. Victoria College : A history revealed. 5 February 2013. 2002. American Univ in Cairo Press. 978-977-424-756-9. 65.
  3. News: Princess Fawzia engaged. 4 February 2013. The Indian Express. 28 March 1949.
  4. News: Shah of Iran's Ex-wife to Marry Again.... 16 July 2013. The Pittsburgh Press. 27 March 1949. UP. Cairo.
  5. News: Bride absent from wedding. 5 February 2013. Saskatoon Star Phoenix. 31 March 1949. Associated Press. Cairo.
  6. News: Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt. 16 July 2013. The Daily Telegraph. London. 5 July 2013.
  7. News: Princess Fawzia weds diplomat. 16 July 2013. Meriden Record. 29 March 1949.
  8. News: Girl is born to Princess Fawzia. 5 February 2013. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 20 December 1950. Associated Press. Cairo.
  9. Sami. Soheir. Profile: Youssef Shaaban. Al Ahram Weekly. 4–10 June 1998. 380. 17 July 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121222005622/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/380/people.htm. 22 December 2012.
  10. News: Ghazal. Rym. A forgotten Egyptian Princess remembered. 16 July 2013. The National. 8 July 2013.