AMMAN, Jordan — The newly widowed queen of Jordan threw open the doors of Zahran Palace on Tuesday to accept the outstretched hands and tearful embraces of thousands of women who lined up to share their common grief.
Queen Noor al Hussein--"Light of Hussein"--had just lost her husband, the king of Jordan, yet it was she who consoled the women who came calling.
"We rejoice in his life," she said to one visitor. "His spirit makes us strong."
King Hussein died Sunday, losing a battle with lymphatic cancer and leaving behind an American-born widow who must now redefine her role. The monarch was buried Monday at the Hashemite royal cemetery in an elaborate state funeral that Noor could not attend because of Muslim tradition that orders the segregation of the sexes during important religious rites.
Instead, Noor, who was Hussein's fourth wife, and other female members of the royal family will receive female mourners for two more days. On Tuesday, she stood composed, graceful and solicitous as, one by one, she greeted the flood of women from Bedouin villages, Amman mansions and foreign capitals.
Wearing a white chiffon scarf and bereft of makeup, in accord with Muslim tradition of mourning here, she patted elderly peasants on the head and kissed fur-clad socialites. She uttered words of encouragement to every woman who passed by.
It was a display of dignity and strength that earned her plaudits from many Jordanians and underlined a position of newfound honor for a queen who has more often been the target of spiteful criticism. Suddenly, as they cope with the trauma of losing a ruler whom many revered, Jordanians are embracing their tall, blond queen as never before.
"She is a piece of our lost king," said Fardos Nasri, a writer in dark sunglasses who offered condolences at the palace. "She had his love and is the mother of his children. People respect her. She was very close to him at the end."
But even if that perception changes over time, as the immediate, emotional impact of Hussein's death fades, Noor's status in Jordan appears secure.
In one of his final acts, the king himself ensured that by asking his eldest son and heir, Abdullah, to name Abdullah's half brother Hamzeh as Jordan's new crown prince. Hours after his ascension, King Abdullah II did just that.
