Sultanah Haminah

Haminah
Raja Permaisuri Agong
Reign	13 December 2011 – 12 December 2016
Installation	11 April 2012
Predecessor	Sultanah Nur Zahirah
Successor	Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah
Sultanah of Kedah
Reign	21 November 2003 – 11 September 2017
Installation	9 January 2004
Predecessor	Sultanah Bahiyah
Successor	Sultanah Maliha
Che Puan Besar of Kedah
Reign	21 January 2018 – Present
Predecessor	Tunku Ampuan Asma (as Tunku Ampuan)
Born	Haminah binti Hamidun (1953-07-15) 15 July 1953 (age 70) Kampung Matang Jelutong, Bagan Serai, Perak, Malaya
Spouse	Sultan Abdul Halim ​ ​ (m. 1975; died 2017)​
Regnal name Sultanah Hajah Haminah (as Sultanah consort) Tuanku Hajah Haminah (as Supreme Queen consort) Che Puan Besar Hajah Haminah (as Queen dowager)
Father	Haji Hamidun bin Taib
Mother	Hajah Isma binti Mohamad
Religion	Sunni Islam

Royal family of Kedah
Sultan Salehuddin, the Sultan Sultanah Maliha, the Sultanah Tengku Sarafuddin Badlishah, the Raja Muda Che Puan Muda Zaheeda, the Raja Puan Muda Tunku Zara Bahiyah Tunku Sulaiman Badlishah Tunku Shazuddin Ariff, the Tunku Mahkota Che Puan Nur Julie Ariff, the Tunku Puan Mahkota
Che Puan Besar Haminah, the Che Puan Besar and widow's of Abdul Halim of Kedah Tunku Soraya, the Raja Puan Muda of Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain, the Raja Di-Hilir of Perak Raja Nabil Imran Che’ Jocelyn Nur Alina Abdullah Raja Sarah Bahiyah Raja Idris Shah Che’ Anis Nabila Raja Intan Soraya Raja Sarina Intan Bahiyah Raja Safia Azizah Raja Siffudin Muazzam Shah Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz, the Tunku Temenggong
Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani, the Tunku Bendahara Datin Seri Diraja Puan Sri Nora binti Abdullah, the Toh Puan Bendahara
v t e

Che Puan Besar Hajah Haminah binti Haji Hamidun, formerly known as Sultanah Haminah (Jawi: چئ ڤوان بسر حجة همينة بنت حميدون‎; born Haminah binti Hamidun; 15 July 1953) is the former Sultanah consort of Malaysian State of Kedah and the widow of Sultan Abdul Halim Mua'dzam Shah. Born a commoner from Bagan Serai, Perak, she married Sultan Abdul Halim on 25 December 1975 and as his second wife, she was styled as Her Highness The Che Puan of Kedah or equivalent the Princess consort. She was installed as the new Sultanah of Kedah on 9 January 2004 at the Balai Penghadapan Istana Anak Bukit following the death of Sultanah Bahiyah, the previous Sultanah and first wife of Sultan Abdul Halim.^[1] She served as the 14th Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia (Supreme Queen Consort) from 2011 to 2016, during her husband's second term as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Malaysian federal head of state. After her husband's death in September 2017, his successor and her brother-in-law Sultan Sallehuddin, bestowed her the title Che Puan Besar of Kedah, roughly equivalent to a queen dowager.

Early life

Born on 15 July 1953 in Kampung Matang Jelutong, Bagan Serai, Perak. She is the fourth of seven siblings born to father Haji Hamidun bin Taib and mother Hajah Isma binti Mohamad. Tuanku Hajah Haminah was educated at Sekolah Kebangsaan Matang Jelutong and later Sekolah Menengah Inggeris Bagan Serai.^[2]

Royalty

On 25 December 1975, at age 23, Haminah married HRH The Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim and became his second wife. She received the title HH Che Puan of Kedah.^[2] HRH Sultan Abdul Halim's first wife, Sultanah Bahiyah died on 26 August 2003. On 21 November 2003, HH Che Puan Haminah was proclaimed as the Sultanah of Kedah. Her installation took place in the royal town of Anak Bukit on 9 January 2004.^[2]

Upon the installation of HRH Sultan Abdul Halim as HM The Yang di-Pertuan Agong XIV on 13 December 2011, HRH Sultanah Hajah Haminah became HM The Raja Permaisuri Agong.^[3] HM Tuanku Hajah Haminah then became the fourth commoner who become a Raja Permaisuri Agong after Tuanku Bainun binti Mohamad Ali of Perak, Tengku Permaisuri Siti Aishah of Selangor and Sultanah Nur Zahirah of Terengganu.

Following the demise of HRH Almarhum Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah on 11 September 2017, she has been formally addressed as Sultanah Hajah Haminah, the Sultanah Dowager during a brief period of time.

On 21 January 2018, in conjunction with the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Sallehuddin's 76th birthday, she was conferred the title Her Royal Highness The Che Puan Besar of Kedah. She is now formally addressed as Che Puan Besar Hajah Haminah or simply Tuanku Hajah Haminah.

Interests

Tuanku Hajah Haminah is known to enjoy golf, tennis, badminton, lawn bowling and music.^[4] She has participated in various golf tournaments in Kedah and initiated amateur women's golf tournaments such as the Kedah International Red Tee Invitational, as well as being invited as the royal guest for the International Lawn Bowls Mahsuri Cup in Langkawi.^[5] She also served as the first Chancellor of Management and Science University from 2004 until 2019.

Awards and recognitions

She has been awarded the following honours:^{[citation needed]}

Honours of Kedah

• Member of the Royal Family Order of Kedah (DK, 9 January 2004).
• Member of the Halimi Family Order of Kedah (DKH, 15 July 2008).^[6]
• Member of the Supreme Order of Sri Mahawangsa (DMK, 20 January 2017) with title Dato' Seri Utama.^[7]

Honours of Malaysia

•  Malaysia :
  • Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN, 26 January 2012)^[8][9]

Foreign honours

•  Japan:
  • Grand Cordon (Paulownia) of the Order of the Precious Crown (3 October 2012)
•  Thailand:
  • Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of the Order of Chula Chom Klao (2 September 2013)^{[citation needed]}

Places named after her

Several places were named after her, including:

• Sultanah Haminah Mosque in Pendang, Kedah
• Taman Tuanku Haminah, a residential area in Sungai Petani, Kedah
• Pusat Perdagangan Tuanku Haminah, a trade centre in Alor Setar, Kedah
• Dewan Tuanku Permaisuri Hajah Haminah, a ceremony hall at the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah in Kuala Ketil, Kedah
• Yayasan Anak-anak Yatim Sultanah Haminah, an orphanage foundation in Kedah

Notes

References

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