It is late afternoon—that time when children grow restless and become hungry. And so Queen Rania of Jordan—Her Majesty to her subjects, Mama to her four young children with King Abdullah—sets about preparing supper with the help of her daughters, princesses Iman, 9, and Salma, 5. As the girls and their mom work, a nanny looks after 10-month-old Prince Hashem, while King Abdullah—dressed in his off-duty uniform—appears briefly in the family's newly built palace in Amman. Nearby, the couple's eldest son, 11 year-old Prince Hussein, plays a computer game. “I am influenced by my son,” the queen says with a laugh. “I listen to everything from 50 Cent1 to Coldplay2 to Alicia Keys3 to Norah Jones.4 ”
Yes, Her Majesty Queen Rania—at 35, the world's youngest queen, who presides with her husband over a kingdom that dates back several thousand years—is a Coldplay fan. She's also a fashion designer's darling, a Desperate Housewives5 fan and an outspoken6 advocate7 in her Muslim country for long-taboo8 causes like women's rights and victims of child abuse. Whether commanding much attention at the 2004 World Economic Forum or just sitting on the floor with a dozen children watching a puppet9 show, Rania, as she is called by her friends, “Is a good example of modern royalty,” says her friend Katie Couric. “She is such a terrific spokesperson for her country and the whole region. I admire her so much when I talk about her.”
Unlike her European counterparts10, the Kuwait-born Rania faces the hard task of balancing modern and ancient worlds. “She has to be aware of modern attitudes while not offending her own country's traditions and yet push just enough to ensure progress,” says her friend Pat Mitchell, president and CEO of PBS 11. Rania has used her Jordan River Foundation to establish the country's first-ever center for abused children and to promote small loans for women starting their own businesses—moves that might have offended Jordan's male-dominated society, were it not for her smooth political charms. Says Mitchell:“She has threaded the needle very carefully.”
The balancing act extends to her 12-year marriage, itself a unique mix of traditional and modern mores12 . Rania praises Abdullah's “really good” barbecue13 skills; he admires her modern decorating sense in the hilltop palace they moved into last year. Yet in a region where women traditionally have little say in what happens around them, “she has a natural ability to communicate without offending,” says Abdullah, 43, who unexpectedly ascended the throne14 in 1999. (His mother is Hussein's second wife, Princess Muna.) “We really work as a team,” he says. “She covers areas that I am unable to dedicate much time to.”
Rania says she relies on her own background to connect with her countrymen—and women. “I understand where they are coming from,” she says. “I am a product of this society and I can relate to them.” She was born the middle of three children to pediatrician15 Faisal Yasin, 71, and his homemaker16 wife.
After earning a business degree from the American University in Cairo, Rania's life changed forever in January 1993, when she attended a dinner party given by Abdullah's sister Princess Aisha. “The minute Rania walked in, I knew it was meant to be,”says Abdullah, who was an army officer at the time. “It was love at first sight.” His wife is more careful. “I knew he was King Hussein's son, and I was a bit wary17 of that,” she says. “But I think he was quite interested, and he tried very hard to gain my attention and things happened.” Five months later the pair married. “It was quick,” says Rania, speaking in flawless English. (Arabic is her first language.) She says because she wasn't famous the romance blossomed naturally: “Nobody knew who I was, which was good.”
Her anonymity18 didn't last long, particularly after King Hussein's 1999 death. Since then, Hussein's widow, the American-born Queen Noor, spends most of her time in the U.S. and London.
In the years following Abdullah's ascension, the royal couple says they have tried to remain as they were before they became monarchs. “We make sure to go to restaurants or go catch a movie somewhere, drive our own cars,” says Rania, who often picks up her children from school. Safety issues are always in the back of her mind—the late King Hussein, who faced opposition for his moderate views, survived several assassination19 attempts—but“it's not something I think about on a day-to-day basis,” she says.
Instead, the modern queen focuses on priorities: family and work. “You have to think about everything happening around you,”she says. “Only by doing this can you achieve a positive result.”
ES FYI
Jordan
The full name of Jordan is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan located in the Middle East. It is a constitutional monarchy with representative government.
The majority of Jordan's 5.8 million people are Arabs descended from the various tribes that have migrated to the area over the years from all directions. More than 92% of Jordanians are Sunni Muslims, and about 6% are Christians.
Amman
Amman has served as the modern and ancient capital of Jordan. It is built on seven hills. Most of Amman's noteworthy history sites are clustered20 in the downtown area, such as: the ancient Citadel, the Great Temple of Amman, the Jordan Archeological Museum, the Roman Theater and the King Hussein Mosque, etc.
The River Jordan
The Jordan River, or River Jordan is one of the most sacred places, both historically and symbolically, for Christians throughout the world. It is associated with some of the most important events in the Bible.
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is 75 km long and from 6 to 16 km wide. It is fed by the Jordan River, but it has no outlet. As its name suggests, the Dead Sea is entirely devoid21 of plant and animal life. This is due to an extremely high content of salt and other minerals.
The Dead Sea is also famous geographically as “the lowest point on earth”, lying some 400 meters below sea level. It is today an important and rich source of minerals essential for agricultural and industrial development as well as for the treatment of various medical conditions such as psoriasis22.
那是在傍晚——每当此时，孩子们变得烦躁不安，肚子饿得咕咕叫。拉尼娅，作为约旦国民的王后陛下、阿卜杜拉国王四个孩子的妈妈，已经开始准备晚餐。帮手少不了她的两个公主：9岁的伊曼和5岁的萨尔玛。两位公主与母亲预备着美味佳肴，保姆照看着10个月大的王子哈希姆，而阿卜杜拉国王身着家常服，偶尔在安曼新修的王宫里露露面。不远处，他们的大儿子、11岁的王子侯赛因在玩电脑游戏。“我受儿子的影响，”王后笑着说。“我什么都听，从五十美分到酷玩乐队，从阿莉西亚·吉丝到诺拉·琼斯。”
是的，35岁的拉尼娅王后陛下与丈夫共同统治着这个拥有几千年历史的王国。她是世界上最年轻的王后。她既是酷玩乐队的乐迷，也是服装设计师的宠儿，还是《疯狂主妇》的忠实观众。她在这个穆斯林国家公然倡导维护妇女和受虐儿童的权利，这可是人们长期以来所忌讳的一个事情。她不仅在2004年世界经济论坛上引起众人的关注，还与孩子们一起坐在地板上看木偶剧。拉尼娅（朋友们这样称呼她）“成了现代王权的典范”， 她的好友凯蒂·库丽克如此评价她：“她业已成为这个国家，乃至整个地区的出色代言人。一谈起她，我对她钦佩不已。”
与西方国家的王后们不同，科威特出生的拉尼娅王后11月16日赴美国访问面临着横亘于现代与古代两个世界的艰巨任务。“她不得不时刻小心谨慎，不可冒犯本国的传统，但又要尽量推进关系发展，”她的好朋友、美国公共广播公司的主席和总裁帕特·米切尔如是说。拉尼娅利用自己的约旦河基金建立了该国第一个受虐儿童救助中心，并提倡向妇女提供小额贷款以帮助她们谋生。若不是她的温和政治魅力，这些举措势必激怒约旦的男权世界。米切尔说：“她得小心翼翼地穿针引线。”
这种平衡举动甚至影响到她12年的婚姻生活。这种婚姻是传统道德与现代规范融合的典范。拉尼娅对阿卜杜拉“非常棒”的烧烤技术赞不绝口；他则在山顶王宫的建造问题上尊重她的现代装潢选择。他们去年搬进了这处宫殿。但是，在一个传统上妇女少有话语权的地区，“她天生就有与人沟通的能力，”43岁的阿卜杜拉说。1999年，阿卜杜拉出人意料地继承了王位。（他的母亲是侯赛因的第二个妻子穆娜王妃。）“我们在一起就像一个团队，”他说，“她负责那些我无法顾及的领域。”
拉尼娅说，凭借自己的平民背景，她与国民保持着良好的关系。“我知道他们来自何处，”她说，“我是这个社会的产物，我可以与他们沟通。”在家里的三个孩子中，拉尼娅排行老二。她的父亲是71岁的儿科医生费萨尔·亚辛，母亲则是一位家庭主妇。
在开罗的美国大学取得商业学位后，1993年1月，拉尼娅参加了阿卜杜拉的妹妹阿伊莎公主举办的一个晚会，从此她的生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。“拉尼娅走进来的那一刻，我知道要发生什么了，”当时还是一位军官的阿卜杜拉说，“那可是一见钟情。”他的妻子则比较谨慎。“我知道他是侯赛因国王的儿子，所以我有点小心翼翼，”她说，“但是，我觉得他对我很感兴趣，他开始狂热地追求我，事情就这样发生了。”5个月后，他俩举办了婚礼。“太快了！”拉尼娅用纯正的英语说。（阿拉伯语是她的母语。）她说自己的默默无闻使这段浪漫爱情自然发展。“没有人知道我是谁，这很好。”
默默无闻是短暂的，尤其在1999年侯赛因国王去世之后。从那时起，侯赛因的遗孀、美国出生的努尔王后大部分时间生活在美国和伦敦。
阿卜杜拉继承王位之后，夫妇俩说他们努力像成为君主之前一样紧密团结。“我们必须去餐馆就餐，或者在什么地方看一场电影，驾驶着我们自己的车子兜风。”拉尼娅说。她经常开车到学校去接孩子。她总是把安全问题置于脑后，已故的侯赛因国王就是因为观点温和而遭到别人反对，侥幸躲过几次暗杀，但是“那不是我每天必须考虑的问题。”她说。
相反，这为时尚的王后把家庭与工作放在首位。“你得考虑发生在你周围的任何事情，”她说，“只有这样，你才能作出正确的判断。”
ES FYI
约旦
约旦的全名是约旦哈桑王国，坐落在中东地区。它是一个君主立宪制国家，有自己的政府。约旦人口580万，其中绝大多数是阿拉伯人，是多少年来从各地迁徙到这个地区的部落的后代。超过92％的约旦人是逊尼派穆斯林，大约6％是基督徒。
安曼
安曼在古代和现代都是约旦的首都。它坐落在七座山上。安曼的绝大多数著名的历史遗迹分布在中心地区，比如：古城堡、安曼大神殿、约旦考古博物馆、罗马大剧院和侯赛因国王大清真寺，等等。
约旦河
对世界各地的基督徒来说，约旦河不管是在历史意义上还是在象征意义上都是最神圣的地方之一。它与《圣经》中绝大多数事件多有关联。
死海
死海长75公里、宽6到16公里，主要以约旦河为水源，但是没有出口。正如其名字，死海里完全没有植物，也不存在动物生命。这是因为它含有极高的盐份和其它矿物质。
死海同样以其地处“地球上陆地最低点”而著称，低于海平面大约400米。现如今，它已经成为工农业开发以及治疗牛皮癣等疾病重要的、丰富的矿物质来源。
1. 50 Cent: 五十美分，原名柯提斯·杰克逊，美国著名的黑人说唱歌手。
2. Coldplay: 酷玩乐队（享誉英美，乃至全球的著名英国乐队，曾获四项格莱美大奖）
3. Alicia Keys: 阿莉西亚·吉丝（美国新生代女歌手，曾获R&B四个奖项）
4. Norah Jones: 诺拉·琼斯（爵士乐歌后，2003年曾以Come away with me获得两项格莱美大奖）
5. Desperate Housewives: 《疯狂主妇》或《绝望主妇》，美国时下热播的电视连续剧，美国艾美奖获奖剧目。
6. outspoken adj. 坦率直言的，直言不讳的
7. advocate n. 拥护者，提倡者
8. taboo n. 禁忌，避讳
9. puppet n. 木偶
10. counterpart n. 对应的人
11. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service （美国）公共广播公司
12. mores n. 道德观念
13. barbecue n. 烧烤
14. ascend the throne （君主）登基
ascend v. 登上
15. pediatrician n. 儿科医生
16. homemaker n. 主妇
17. wary adj. 谨慎的，警惕的
18. anonymity n. 匿名，姓名不详
19. assassination n. 暗杀，行刺
20. cluster v. 群集
21. devoid adj. 全无的，缺乏的
22. psoriasis n. 牛皮癣，银屑病